Alexander Regier Named Academic Dean, Vice Rector of Saint Louis University-Madrid
Saint Louis University-Madrid has named Alexander Regier, Ph.D., its next academic
dean and vice rector, effective Jan. 11, 2027.
Currently the William Faulkner Professor of English and Professor of Modern and Classical
Literatures, Languages and Cultures at Rice University in the United States, Regier
brings extensive experience as an academic leader, scholar, administrator and educator.
During his tenure as department chair for the Department of English and Creative Writing — the largest humanities department at Rice University — Regier led significant growth and innovation within the department, including development of a fully funded MFA in Creative Writing, expansion of interdisciplinary academic offerings and initiatives that have strengthened the department’s national profile and increased student enrollment.
Regier was also interim director of the Initiative for the Study of LatinX America
(now CELAS) at Rice University, a campus-wide, interdisciplinary initiative that serves
to increase the visibility and impact of research in Latin American, Latine and Caribbean
studies at Rice. He also directs the multi-disciplinary Space Humanities Initiative.
An accomplished scholar, Regier is the author or editor of multiple books covering subjects from eighteenth-century philosophy and Romantic literature to aesthetics, multilingualism, and sports. He has received an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship, as well as fellowships at the National Humanities Center, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Exeter, and he is the recipient of multiple awards, including from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
William P. Johnson, J.D., SLU-Madrid rector and vice president, said Regier possesses an unusual combination of academic, professional and personal skills that make him the ideal choice for the position.
“Dr. Regier is extraordinarily well-qualified to serve as academic dean," Johnson said. "He is well-positioned to lead this academic community to new heights and a bright future. I could not be more hopeful. As we continue to expand academic programs, increase student enrollment and broaden our international reach, Dr. Regier’s skills, experience, and commitment to academic excellence are perfectly aligned to usher SLU-Madrid into its next decade and beyond.”
Regier brings a distinctively global perspective shaped by his significant experiences living, studying, and working across Europe, North America and Latin America. A native speaker of both Spanish and German, Regier was raised in Germany and then completed his degrees in the United Kingdom, earning both his Ph.D. in English and M.Phil. in European Literature from the University of Cambridge and his undergraduate degree in English Literature and Philosophy from Durham University. He also has deep ties to both Colombia and Argentina.
“I am deeply honored to join Saint Louis University-Madrid as its next academic dean and vice rector,” Regier said. “I look forward to working with the leadership team, faculty, students and staff to develop SLU-Madrid as a comprehensive university on a globally integrated European campus.”
Regier’s vision for the campus includes strengthening faculty research while building on SLU-Madrid’s tradition of excellence in teaching.
“This means combining a growing, first-class research profile with a deep, steadfast commitment to an excellent liberal arts education,” he said.
Regier was selected following an international search that attracted a deep pool of outstanding candidates from around the world. Charles El Mir, Ph.D., chair of the search committee, said Regier stood out within that highly competitive pool.
“The search for our next academic dean drew outstanding candidates from around the world, and that level of interest is a testament to what SLU-Madrid is achieving,” El Mir said. “Dr. Regier stood out in this very competitive landscape. His truly international profile, both academic and personal, speaks directly to what makes our campus distinctive.”
Regier will join SLU-Madrid at a time when the campus is firmly establishing itself as a world-class, degree-granting campus of a nationally prominent U.S. research university with robust academic programs, while remaining at its core a close-knit community and a Jesuit institution committed to social justice.
Johnson expressed his deep sense of optimism for the future of the campus and Regier’s contributions as academic dean.
“SLU-Madrid is a truly remarkable, mission-driven, multilingual, global campus community,” Johnson said. “We seek to establish SLU-Madrid as the finest U.S. campus you will find anywhere outside the United States. Attracting an academic dean as impressive as Dr. Regier is a testament to that positive trajectory. The future looks very bright indeed.”
About SLU-Madrid
Tracing its roots to 1967, Saint Louis University’s Madrid campus is an innovator in international education and widely recognized for its highly rigorous and transformative U.S. educational programs. As Spain's largest U.S. campus, SLU-Madrid is home to more than 1,200 students from the United States, Spain and more than 65 other countries. In addition to robust study abroad opportunities, degree-seeking students can complete their entire U.S. degree experience in Spain, choosing from 23 fully accredited undergraduate majors and two graduate degrees.