Robert K. Vischer became the 16th president of the University of St. Thomas on January 1, 2023, after serving as interim president beginning June 1, 2022.
He joined St. Thomas in 2005 as an associate professor of law and was appointed dean of the School of Law in 2013. During his tenure as dean, the law school strengthened its national profile and deepened its integration of faith, ethics and professional formation.
Vischer earned his undergraduate degree from the University of New Orleans and his law degree from Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. He practiced at Kirkland & Ellis and clerked for three federal judges before entering academia.
He has served in national leadership roles supporting Catholic higher education, including election to the Board of Directors of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities.
Throughout his career, Vischer has written and spoken widely on questions of religious freedom, Catholic identity and the role of faith in public life.