Fred P. Pestello (born 1952) is an American sociologist and administrator in higher education. He currently serves as the 33rd President of Saint Louis University (SLU) in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

. Prior to this, he was the 13th President of Le Moyne College, a post he had held since July 1, 2008.

Biography

Pestello was born and raised in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

and received his bachelor's degree in sociology at John Carroll University in 1974, his master's degree in sociology from the University of Akron in 1981, and his doctoral degree from the University of Akron- Kent State University joint Ph.D. program in sociology in 1985. Prior to accepting his position at Le Moyne College, Pestello served at the University of Dayton for 24 years. He began his academic career as professor of sociology at the university, and later became chair of the department of sociology, anthropology, and social work. From there, Pestello took administrative positions as the associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Later, he served as the University of Dayton's Provost and Senior Vice president for Educational Affairs from 2001 to 2008. Pestello also served the Ohio Partnership for Continued Learning, the Dayton Regional Network, United Way of Greater Dayton, and St. Joseph Children's Treatment Center. From 2003 to 2005, he served on the National Advisory Council Fostering Student Development through Faculty Development, a project funded by the Lilly Endowment, Inc. and the John Templeton Foundation. Pestello was appointed to serve as President of

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississip ...

by the university's Board of Trustees on 20 March 2014. On 21 March 2014, Pestello was officially named the 33rd President of

. He replaced

Lawrence Biondi Lawrence H. Biondi, SJ is a Catholic Priest who served as the President of Saint Louis University from 1987 to 2013, a period that saw significant changes to campus and the university as a whole. Early life and education Born in Chicago, Ill ...

Saint Louis University presidency

Since Pestello took office in 2014, SLU has invested in further construction around campus and negotiated an agreement with SSM Health which includes a $500,000,000 investment on the medical campus. After peacefully resolving a weeklong campus encampment known as "OccupySLU" that took place in the wake of the

shooting of Michael Brown On August 9, 2014, 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. Brown was accompanied by his 22-year-old male friend Dorian Johnson, who later stated that Brow ...

, Pestello's administration oversaw the implementation of the Clocktower Accords, an agreement made between Pestello and OccupySLU protesters to promote racial equity at SLU. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pestello's administration faced a $20 million USD budget deficit and a $75 million USD loss during fiscal year 2020. To offset these financial difficulties, Pestello launched the "OneSLU" fundraising initiative.

Le Moyne College presidency

Pestello was the first permanent lay leader of Le Moyne College, a Jesuit institution of higher education and the only comprehensive Catholic college in Central New York. As president, Dr. Pestello oversaw stewardship of a record donation to the college: a $50 million bequest from the McDevitt family. He also directed physical improvements on the campus, including renovation of an abandoned building in order to house a bookstore open to the community, and construction of the Coyne Science Center. Pestello implemented changes that increased enrollment, and led two fund-raising campaigns. In September 2008, Pestello initiated a strategic visioning process entitled "OneLeMoyne," culminating in a new strategic plan. In June 2009, Pestello met with the

Superior General of the Society of Jesus The superior general of the Society of Jesus is the leader of the Society of Jesus, the Catholic religious order also known as the Jesuits. He is generally addressed as Father General. The position sometimes carries the nickname of the Black Po ...

Rome, Italy , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (Romulus and Remus, legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg ...

Published works

Book ''Sentiments and Acts.'' (Aldine de Gruyter, 1993). Co-authored with Irwin Deutscher and H. Frances G. Pestello. Book received a Special Recognition Award from the Charles Horton Cooley Committee of the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction, 1994. Articles Pestello has published articles on topics ranging from hospices and public policy to faculty hiring practices in Catholic colleges, including: *"Faculty Attitudes and Hiring Practices at Selected Catholic Colleges and Universities." ''Current Issues in Catholic Higher Education'' (2001) with James L. Heft and Ronald M. Katsuyama *"Discounting." ''Journal of Contemporary Ethnography'' (1991) * "The Social Construction of Grades." ''Teaching Sociology'' (1987) *"White Opposition: To Busing or to Desegregation?" ''Social Science Quarterly'' (1982)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pestello, Fred P. 1952 births Living people American sociologists Presidents of Saint Louis University Presidents of Le Moyne College University of Dayton faculty John Carroll University alumni Kent State University alumni University of Akron alumni