ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Saint Louis University President Fred Pestello has announced plans to step down after June 2025, the school announced Thursday in a release.
"There is so much I will miss about this magnificent job," Pestello wrote in a statement Thursday. "But just as I knew 10 years ago that SLU would be my home, I know that it is time for a new leader to take the first step into a new era."
Pestello's announcement comes on the 10th anniversary of his introduction as SLU’s 33rd president back 2014.
During Pestello's time as President, the university has seen launch of the Saint Louis University Research Institute, the formation of the Taylor Geospatial Institute, and a partnership with SSM Health that led to the opening of the $550 million SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital and Center for Specialized Medicine in 2020.
Pestello's time at SLU also dealt many issues, from the civil unrest caused from Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson early into his tenure back in 2014 and handling the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020.
SLU was able to continue in-person learning and on-campus living without interruption while many other colleges and universities struggled to remain open during the fall 2020 semester and beyond.
Pastello will take a sabbatical after he steps down, and after it Pestello said he plans to continue teaching, writing and supporting the University and its new president as needed.
SLU will conduct a national search to identify Pestello’s successor.