FROM PRESIDENT ROBERT VISCHER ...
We were all surprised to learn of Dean Kelly’s decision to leave St. Thomas for George Mason Law School; we’re grateful for his service and wish him well. Leadership transitions always bring uncertainty, but my confidence
in the brightness of the law school’s future remains unshakeable. Over our first 25 years, our law school community has achieved remarkable success. Here are just a few dimensions of our progress: • Catholic identity: What does it mean to be a meaningfully Catholic law school in the 21st century? Unlike previous eras, when Catholic law schools could define themselves demographically – i.e., they were where Catholics and other immigrants were given a chance to become lawyers – we’ve shown how the Catholic intellectual tradition can provide a foundation on which to build a conversation that invites every community member to explore what professional vocation means through the lens of their own faith tradition. • Professional formation: We are indisputably the national (and increasingly, global) leaders in exploring what whole-person, intentional formation looks like in the context of legal education, and we are demonstrating that it is possible to help students develop professional identities grounded in service to others. • Jobs: Fifteen years ago, I sometimes felt sheepish about trying to persuade a student to choose St. Thomas over more “elite” law schools. Our mission was powerful and distinctive, but our job numbers did not measure up. Through a sustained years-long effort, we can now put our return-on-investment case up against anyone’s. • Scholarship: We do not (yet) have the peer reputation of a top-50 law school, but we have a stronger scholarly impact than more than half of the schools in the top 50. We are showing how a mission- driven school can take both student well-being and faculty research seriously. • Community: Many of the faculty and staff who have invested in the success of St. Thomas Law have been motivated, in part, by our own experiences as law students, when a strong sense of community was not (to say the least) an institutional priority at our own alma maters. How many examples from the past 25 years could we cite as evidence that our commitment to building a culture that prioritizes meaningful relationship is bearing fruit? I remain convinced that this will be the most powerful legacy that each generation of our students carries forward from their time with us. When the university decided to open a law school, Fr. Dennis Dease and the trustees were taking a leap of faith that this bold venture would find traction in an already competitive market. Their faith was not misplaced – the animating vision of what could be has become reality. I plan to stay at St. Thomas for the long haul, and I look forward to working with you to help write the next chapter of St. Thomas Law’s remarkable story. If we keep our mission front and center no matter the circumstances, we will thrive. With deep gratitude,
Robert K. Vischer President University of St. Thomas
Summer 2026 Page 5
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