Fred Pestello

Fred P. Pestello (born 1952) is the 33rd President of Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri. He was appointed by the university's Board of Trustees on March 20, 2014. Prior to this, he was the 13th President of Le Moyne College, a post he had held since July 1, 2008. He was the first permanent lay leader of Le Moyne, a Jesuit institution of higher education and the only comprehensive Catholic college in Central New York. Pestello was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio 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 UD, and later became chair of the department of sociology, anthropology, and social work. He advanced to positions as the associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, then provost and senior vice president for educational affairs from 2001 to 2008. In May 2008, Pestello was formally heralded by the University of Dayton's Board of Trustees for his leadership in fostering academic excellence among students and faculty, and singled out in particular for his emphasis on faculty development. 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.
On March 21, 2014, Pestello was named the 33rd President of Saint Louis University. He replaced Lawrence Biondi.

Since Pestello took office in 2014, SLU has enjoyed the second most successful fund-raising year in its history, is constructing two new residence halls, and negotiated a historic agreement with SSM Health which includes a $500,000,000 investment on the medical campus. National rankings, university strategic planning, and civic relations have improved. After peacefully resolving a weeklong campus encampment (OccupySLU) organized to protest racial inequality in the St. Louis region, Pestello continues to promote inclusiveness and equity both at SLU and beyond.

As president, Pestello strengthened operations in enrollment management, institutional advancement, and board relations. He stewarded the McDevitt Gift, a historic $50 million bequest received by Le Moyne in 2008, led two fund-raising campaigns that significantly exceeded their goals, and oversaw the most extensive building and renovation initiative in the history of the College. His actions helped to generate the highest undergraduate enrollment in the College's history for five of his six years (2009-2014). In September 2008, Pestello initiated a strategic visioning process entitled "OneLeMoyne," resulting in a strategic plan largely realized by the end of his term. Pestello also led efforts to revitalize the College's Catholic, Jesuit mission, e.g. meeting in June 2009 meeting in Rome, Italy with the Superior General of the Society of Jesus.

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)