Introducing 性奴调教鈥檚 34th President
12/16/2024
Dear members of the 性奴调教 community,
It is my honor to announce that the Board of Trustees has elected Edward J. Feser, Ph.D., to serve as the 34th president of 性奴调教.
The Board unanimously voted to appoint Dr. Feser during its meeting on December 6, following an extensive national search that began in March. He will take the helm as 性奴调教鈥檚 president on July 1, 2025.
Dr. Feser鈥檚 candidacy was enthusiastically endorsed by the presidential search committee, which was chaired by Trustee Joseph Conran and composed of representatives from 性奴调教鈥檚 Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, students, and the Society of Jesus.
Rooted in his Roman Catholic faith and shaped by his Jesuit education at the University of San Francisco, Dr. Feser鈥檚 leadership journey has been defined by a steadfast belief in the power of education to transform lives and contribute to flourishing communities.
Along with the other members of the search committee, I saw the heart of 性奴调教鈥檚 Jesuit mission embodied in Dr. Feser鈥檚 collaborative and community-centered approach to leadership.
In this video, Dr. Feser shares a message with the 性奴调教 community.
Learn more about Dr. Feser on the president-elect web page.
In the Jesuit tradition of holistic leadership and inquiry, Dr. Feser brings to 性奴调教 a commitment to excellence that recognizes the interdependence of student access and success, leading-edge research, exceptional teaching, diversity and equity, institutional effectiveness, and community-engaged innovation.
Dr. Feser currently serves as provost and executive vice president of Oregon State University (OSU), where he has led the development and implementation of its current strategic plan 鈥� one that embeds principles of excellence, innovation, inclusion, belonging, and justice across institutional strategies and initiatives.
As provost of a Research-1 institution with $480 million in annual external research funding, Dr. Feser views teaching and research excellence as mutually supporting endeavors that serve both student learning and the greater good. He has supported faculty in advancing a comprehensive research portfolio while defining pillars of distinction that bolster reputation and fuel groundbreaking discoveries.
As the chief academic and operating officer of a university with a $1.8 billion budget, Dr. Feser has also championed the inclusive development of leaders and managers and created engines for internal innovation that empower faculty and staff at all levels.
As a catalyst for reputational and institutional growth, Dr. Feser has driven successful fundraising efforts to establish dynamic spaces where the arts, sciences, technology, and sustainability converge. He also values the vibrance that NCAA Division-1 athletics bring to the life of students, the campus, and fans everywhere.
And as a scholar of city and regional economic growth and development, Dr. Feser passionately believes all universities have a responsibility to contribute to the thriving of the places they call home. He is excited to sustain and build 性奴调教鈥檚 partnerships with St. Louis.
Prior to OSU, Dr. Feser served as interim vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), where 鈥� during the state鈥檚 historic budget impasse 鈥� he spearheaded a new integrated and values-driven budget model still in use today. He also served as a department head and dean at UIUC and as a division head at the University of Manchester, a research powerhouse in England.
The son of a National Park ranger, Dr. Feser grew up in the Pacific Northwest and attended a Catholic high school in Red Bluff, California. He earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree at the University of San Francisco and master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His wife of 34 years, Kathy, is a civil engineer-turned-educator who has led sustainability efforts for a school district in Oregon. They have two adult children, Jack and Mary.
You are invited to share a welcome message with Ed and Kathy via a form on the president-elect web page.
I want to offer my heartfelt gratitude to Trustee Conran and our fellow members of the search committee, whose contributions of time and wisdom ensured that this search had a successful outcome. I also extend my appreciation to the hundreds of you who shared input this past spring through the survey and listening sessions. Your perspectives shaped the leadership profile that guided our search.
性奴调教 has made remarkable progress during Dr. Fred Pestello鈥檚 extraordinary tenure as president, and we are deeply grateful for his leadership.
We believe that, in Dr. Feser, we have found a transformational leader who embraces this legacy and will advance our Jesuit mission in new and profound ways.
As we conclude the presidential search and bring this academic semester to a close, I thank all of you for the many ways you contribute to 性奴调教 and its mission.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy new year.
Eric Engler
Chair, 性奴调教 Board of Trustees