Leadership Announcement

October 9, 2025

Dear members of the SLU community,

With sincere gratitude for his leadership, I write to share that Michael Lewis, Ph.D., has decided not to seek another term as provost and instead will complete his current 5-year appointment on June 30, 2026.

Mike began his tenure as SLU provost in 2021, following his service as associate provost, acting provost, interim dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, and interim provost. Even as the University navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, a turbulent political and economic landscape, recurring budgetary challenges, and a presidential transition, Mike has moved critical initiatives forward. He has led efforts to reshape SLU’s educational programs and academic organization, expand the research enterprise and better recognize scholarly achievements of the faculty, recruit and support the many contributions of Jesuits at SLU, develop innovative new external partnerships, and increase the scale and success of SLU Madrid. Throughout this work, Mike has been a steadfast champion of SLU’s Jesuit mission and robust shared governance.

For my part, I have been especially grateful for his thoughtful and supportive partnership as I have joined the SLU community. I could say much more about Mike’s accomplishments and will do so when we formally celebrate him later this spring.

By sharing his decision now, Mike is ensuring the University will have sufficient time to plan and execute a seamless transition. We will begin preparations for a national search immediately, with a goal of having a new provost in place in late spring. In the meantime, Mike and I will continue to work closely together to advance the goals of Saint Louis University.

Please join me in thanking Provost Lewis for his leadership.

Sincerely,

Edward Feser, Ph.D.
President