Dr. Fred P. Pestello, former faculty member and provost at UD, has been named the 33rd president of Saint Louis University.
"I am humbled and honored to follow in the footsteps of the Jesuit presidents who have come before me, and I am deeply committed to carrying on the mission they have fostered so well," Pestello said in a release. "I have been watching Saint Louis University's progress for years, and I am thrilled for this opportunity to lead an institution that I admire and respect so much."
The Roman Catholic educator's career in higher education began in 1984 at the University of Dayton, where he served as a professor of sociology, chairman of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work, and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. As a faculty member, he was thrice elected vice president of Dayton's academic senate, the highest position a member of the faculty could hold at the time.
In 2001, Pestello was appointed Dayton's provost and senior vice president for educational affairs. In that role, he was noted for his emphasis on faculty development and for making academic excellence the centerpiece of the school's educational processes. He also led a collective effort to draft a new vision statement that spawned a new strategic plan for the institution. In all, he served 25 years at the University of Dayton.
Pestello is currently serving as the president of Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y., a Jesuit liberal arts institution.
Pestello officially assumes SLU's presidency on July 1.
