Eminent Georgetown Scholar Appointed Interim Provost
Chester (Chet) Gillis, Ph.D., a former nine-year dean of Georgetown College at Georgetown
University, has been appointed to serve as interim provost of Saint Louis University,
effective Jan. 1, 2019.
His two and one-half year appointment begins after he has completed a Georgetown University
teaching commitment.
Gillis is an eminent theologian, professor and scholar who has authored numerous scholarly
works on Roman Catholicism that are widely cited. He was frequently consulted by national
media during the papacies of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, and during the
conclave and election of Pope Francis.
He has been on faculty at Georgetown University since 1988, having received his Ph.D.,
in theology from the University of Chicago, and his masters, Ph.D., and Ph.B. from
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium.
“When I considered all the views voiced to me about an interim provost, they all coalesced
around one significant dimension: character traits,” said SLU President Fred P. Pestello.
“I can think of no one whose background, commitment and personality are better suited
for this interim position at this time.”
Dr. Gillis will be available to meet with members of the SLU community on the north
and south campuses and at the law school this week.
- Law School – Monday, Aug. 6, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Scott Hall, 12th-floor pavilion
- South Campus – Tuesday, Aug. 7, 8:30 – 9:45 a.m., Education Union, Rm 117
- North Campus – Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2:30 – 3:45 p.m., Busch Student Center, St. Louis
Room (3rd floor)
- Madrid Campus – A specific date will be scheduled this fall.
An internal, acting provost will serve when Nancy Brickhouse, Ph.D., steps down as
provost on Aug. 15. He or she will serve until Dec. 31 to ensure key decisions are
made and projects continue to progress. A national search for a permanent provost
is expected to begin the summer of 2020, culminating in the role being filled July
2021.