A New Leader for an Expanding School
The end of World War II in August 1945 marked a significant moment in world history. In the United States, the end of the war signaled the beginning of important changes in American culture and in the individual lives of millions of Americans. One area of American life that underwent tremendous change after World War II was higher education. As thousands of American veterans returned home, armed now with GI educational benefits instead of weapons, many took advantage of these benefits and enrolled in a nearby college or university. Saint Louis University was a very different place soon after the war than it had been before. The University had an entirely new school, Parks Air College. Now African-American and female students sat in the same classrooms with white males. The sheer number of students had increased remarkably. By 1949, Saint Louis University had a total enrollment of more than 10,000 students where only 10 years earlier it had enrolled only 4,700 students.
As so often happens during Saint Louis University’s history, a young Jesuit appeared on the scene just at the right moment to help the University manage tremendous changes and challenges and lead it to a better future. In 1949, a 39 year-old Paul C. Reinert was inaugurated as president of Saint Louis University. Father Reinert, who had received his Ph.D. in education from the University of Chicago in 1944, would remain president of Saint Louis University for 25 years until 1974. His tenure as president had not been matched at any other American Jesuit college or university at the time he left office. Father Reinert helped to guide Saint Louis University during a period of tremendous growth and change, not only for the University but also for the entire country.
At the University level, significant accomplishments or events that occurred during the Reinert presidency included:
- The largest student enrollment in University history up to that time
- Female students registered in the College of Arts and Sciences
- Expansion of the University’s main campus by more than 20 acres
- Construction of more than 10 new buildings, including Pius XII Memorial Library
- Introduction of lay persons on the University’s board of trustees
- Student protests and demonstrations over the Vietnam War
Important national events occurring during this same period included:
- Veterans returning home and attending college after World War II
- The Korean War and the return of veterans from that conflict
- The War in Vietnam and the associated student protests and demonstrations
- The Catholic Church’s Vatican Council II
- The Kennedy and King assassinations
- Man landing on the moon
