11/05/2025

Standing in front of the Chaifetz Arena crowd after officially being inaugurated as Saint Louis University’s 34th president, Edward Feser, Ph.D., noted that Wednesday’s date was a special day for Jesuits. 

November 5 is the feast of All Saints and Blesseds of the Society of Jesus. The day is intended to remember the Jesuits and all those who have lived Ignatian values in inspirational ways. Feser said that remembering, honoring, and emulating those Jesuits is important for SLU’s future. 

“We are graced with the opportunity — if we build our beautiful combination of teaching, research, and service distinctively and with fidelity to our Jesuit mission — to graduate ethical and inspiring doers,” Feser said. “Those SLU doers, drawing guidance from 500 years of saints and blesseds that we honor today, will help our city, state, and nation navigate wisely through a world both fraught with peril and rich with opportunity. If we succeed, the future will be bright for SLU, because we will have made it so.”

The inauguration marked the start of a new era at Saint Louis University. Feser remarked that there are challenges ahead for higher education, but noted that SLU has a history of navigating difficult circumstances. 

Reflecting on the University’s 207-year history, including moments of both great achievement and difficult reckonings, Feser said SLU’s enduring strength lies in its willingness to grow with humility and courage.

“We inherit the whole story: sinners, grave mistakes, and failures, but also saints, courageous corrective action, and triumphs,” he said. 

Knowing the past will help pave the way for a better future, he said.

“Our belief in our progress, grounded in humility but bolstered by courage and optimism, is essential,” he said. “We are a university which strives to own its mistakes, to right its wrongs, to bridge divided people, to close the gap between falsehoods and truth, to pursue rigor and excellence in all things, and to do right and to do good for our students, our city, and our country.”

Feser said the most important part of the University’s mission is to prepare students for the future and that SLU’s graduates are the greatest contribution that the University can make to the world.

"Let’s ensure SLU is not just a place for the transmission of knowledge but is rather ‘a forum for the exploration of life’s mystery and meaning,’ via serious engagement with great literary works, philosophy, history, religion, art, and faith; and that we’re helping every student build skill in leadership and entrepreneurship grounded in that unique exploration, exploration that we, as a Jesuit university, can provide,” he said. 

Feser noted that the idea of what constitutes a SLU student should evolve – including not just high school seniors entering college as freshmen, but also adult learners, transfer students, and individuals seeking alternative credentials. 

Feser said it’s also imperative for the University to continue its success in research. 

“We need to become our own unique kind of research university,” he said. “Indeed, I believe we can lead others in defining what cutting-edge research grounded in Jesuit principles and values looks like as we embark on our new era as an R1 institution, provided we integrate our teaching and research missions; focus on building depth in fields where the university can be most distinctive; and prioritize interdisciplinarity.”

Ensuring that the students are prepared for a new world with new technologies is also a key step for SLU, Feser said.  

“The same technological and organizational revolution that we must prepare our students to shape and harness is changing the nature of work in universities like ours,” he said. “We need to practice what we preach and harness these innovations and technologies creatively and wisely in how we do our work.”

Students, faculty, staff and delegates from more than 30 colleges and universities attended the celebration. Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe also attended and shared his excitement about the start of Feser’s tenure at Saint Louis University.

“Under Dr. Feser’s leadership, I am confident that this university will continue to be a light for the city and for our entire state,” Kehoe said. 

Kehoe said Feser’s background meshes perfectly with the things SLU has always done. 

“Dr. Feser brings to Saint Louis University an impressive record of service and leadership,” Kehoe said. “He has dedicated his career to advancing knowledge that serves humanity, and that vision aligns perfectly with the mission of this institution.”

Feser’s leadership was also highlighted by Holden Thorp, Ph.D. A SLU trustee and former colleague of Feser’s at the University of North Carolina, Thorp delivered the keynote address. Thorp shared the story of Feser’s upbringing, from growing up in national parks on the west coast of the United States, to his marriage to his wife Kathy, and his jobs in higher education that, eventually, led him to SLU. 

Thorp said Feser’s background means SLU is well-positioned to lead. 

“These twin ideals of compassion and knowledge propel us forward to a more equitable and loving future,” Thorp said. “President Feser is prepared to lead us there with his own Jesuit education and his stellar record of academic accomplishment.”

Thorp told the crowd that he believes Feser is in the right place — his mission is SLU’s mission. 

“Ed Feser has spent his life learning and defending these traditions and ideas,” he said. “He didn’t come here by accident. Ed Feser is not the president of just any university.  He’s the president of Saint Louis University.”

Following Thorp’s remarks, Feser was presented with the official symbols of the University — the chain of office from Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees Marian “Bo” Mehan (’74, ’82) and the University mace from President Emeritus Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D.

Eric Engler, chairman of the SLU Board of Trustees, then formally installed Feser as the 34th president of Saint Louis University.

“Dr. Feser is new to Saint Louis University, but his impressive record of accomplishment suggests he is uniquely positioned to lead us to enhanced stature and even greater impact,” Engler said. “As a faculty member and administrator, he has put into action his steadfast belief in the power of education to transform lives and contribute to flourishing communities. In other words, he fits right in at this mission-focused, student-centered, research-driven University.”

The ceremony’s theme was Igniting Hope, Growing in Community — celebrating the light of hope that accompanies this moment and the new possibilities the SLU community can cultivate in service to the greater good. To showcase this, members of the SLU and St. Louis community shared greetings of hope and community. 

“Though the future may unfold with uncertainty, our shared Jesuit values, grounded in the Examen, will continue to guide our reflection, service, and scholarship along a purposeful and rewarding path as we journey together on our own pilgrimages at SLU,” said Ness Sandoval, Ph.D., professor of sociology. 

A full broadcast of the ceremony is available on YouTube.