Rob Vischer
Rob Vischer | |
|---|---|
 Rob Vischer in 2025 | |
| 16th President of the University of St. Thomas | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2023 Interim: June 1, 2022, to January 1, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Julie Sullivan |
| Dean of the University of St. Thomas School of Law | |
| In office January 1, 2013 – May 31, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Mengler[a] |
| Succeeded by | Joel A. Nichols (Interim)[b]
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert K. Vischer 1970 (age 54–55)[1] |
| Spouse |
Maureen Keller (m. 1997) |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Phil Vischer (brother) |
| Education | University of New Orleans (BA) Harvard University (JD) |
Robert K. Vischer is an American academic administrator and lawyer currently serving as the President of the University of St. Thomas.[2] Prior to becoming President of St. Thomas, he was the Dean of the University of St. Thomas School of Law from 2013 to 2022.[3][4]
Early life and education
[edit]Vischer was born in Muscatine, Iowa, and moved to the suburbs of Chicago when he was ten years old. His older brother is Phil Vischer, the creator of the VeggieTales animated Christian TV show and films.[5][6]
Vischer attended the University of New Orleans, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with highest honors in 1993. He then received a Juris Doctor with honors in 1996 from Harvard Law School, where he served as an editor of Harvard Law Review.[7]
Career
[edit]After law school, Vischer clerked for Judge Joan B. Gottschall from 1999 to 2000 and Judge David M. Ebel from 2001 to 2002. In the private sector, he worked as an associate at Kirkland & Ellis for several years. In 2002, he became an assistant professor of law at St. John's University School of Law in New York.
In 2005, he joined the faculty at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minnesota. Vischer was named Dean of the Law School in 2013 after Dean Thomas Mengler left to become the President at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas. Vischer served as Dean of the Law School until 2022. The university's board of trustees selected Vischer to become interim president on June 1, 2022, after the departure of then-president Julie Sullivan, who left to become the president of Santa Clara University. After a national search, the board selected Vischer as the university's 16th president in 2023.[8]
Personal life
[edit]Vischer married his wife Maureen Keller in 1997 and together they have three daughters.[9]
Awards and recognition
[edit]In September 2025, Vischer was named Twin Cities Business' 2025 Person of the Year.[10]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "President Rob Vischer commits to cultivating truth, beauty and goodness for the University of St. Thomas". news.stthomas.edu.
- ^ "Office of the President". www.stthomas.edu. Archived from the original on October 1, 2024. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
- ^ Law, St Thomas School of. "Vischer Leads the Way: New Dean of the School of Law Brings Vision and Experience". Newsroom | University of St. Thomas. Archived from the original on September 16, 2024. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
- ^ Hilger, Carrie (March 31, 2022). "Law School Names Interim Dean, Associate Dean". Newsroom | University of St. Thomas. Archived from the original on September 16, 2024. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
- ^ Vischer, Phil (June 14, 2020). "Phil Vischer Tweet re: Holy Post - Race in America". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved October 19, 2023.
- ^ Fedor, Liz (December 4, 2025). "Twin Cities Business Person of the Year: Rob Vischer". Twin Cities Business. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
- ^ Vischer, Robert (September 16, 2024). "Rob Vischer CV" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on September 12, 2024. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
- ^ "Rob Vischer Named 16th President of University of St. Thomas". Newsroom | University of St. Thomas. December 19, 2022. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
- ^ "Robert May". www.legacy.com.
- ^ Fedor, Liz (September 17, 2025). "TCB Names Rob Vischer Its 2025 Person of the Year". Twin Cities Business. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
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