When Robert Vischer arrived at St. Thomas as an associate professor of law in 2005, he had no aspirations beyond being a “contributor” in the school’s journey.

Now, as the university’s second lay president and 16th president overall, he will have the opportunity to contribute on a much larger scale.

“This is the university where I’ve developed as a teacher and scholar, and I think we have a distinctive mission that the world needs more than ever,” Vischer told TommieMedia in an exclusive interview Monday as his hiring was announced. “I’m unbelievably humbled and honored to be tasked with leading us into the next chapter.”

Vischer took over as interim president earlier this year following then-president Julie Sullivan’s departure to become president of Santa Clara University. During Vischer’s 18-year tenure at the St. Thomas School of Law, he moved from associate professor to associate dean, later taking over as dean from 2013-22.

Before coming to St. Thomas, Vischer graduated summa cum laude from the University of New Orleans, later graduating cum laude with a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.

While serving as dean at St. Thomas, he was lauded for his work in diversity, equity and inclusion, which is something Vischer said he wants to focus on in his tenure as president. In 2017, Visher won the inaugural Minnesota Lawyer Diversity and Inclusion Award, which recognizes a Minnesota lawyer’s contributions to the advancement of diversity and inclusion in the practice of law.

“It (diversity) has to be a focus for us because it’s at the heart of our mission,” Vischer said. “It’s because we’re a Catholic university that we have to be committed to making sure that our community reflects the diversity of the communities we aspire to serve, and that the diversity is matched by a relentless commitment to inclusion.”

Vischer also believes in increasing St. Thomas’ local and national visibility, saying St. Thomas’ size and the quality of education it has to offer allow it to provide a liberal arts education in “a way that has been elusive to large state universities.”

“We should be and we need to be better known outside Minnesota, and that’s a journey that’s already begun,” Vischer said, “both with athletics and with academics and really being a little bit louder about our distinctives in the communities outside Minnesota, and we’re going to continue even intensifying our forward momentum on that.”

During his six months as interim president, Vischer focused a lot on building a “culture of encounter” at St. Thomas, which he described as being the opposite of self-absorption and indifference.

“We want to do everything possible to make sure that every student who sets foot on our campus is seen, known and valued,” Vischer said.

Vischer was selected by the St. Thomas Board of Trustees by a unanimous decision. He will officially start his new position on Jan. 1, 2023.

“I couldn’t imagine a more exciting place to have a leadership opportunity,” Vischer said.

Cam Kauffman can be reached at kauf8536@stthomas.edu.