Paul Vita Reappointed Madrid Campus Director and Academic Dean
09/06/2021
Saint Louis University has announced the reappointment of Paul Vita, Ph.D., as Madrid Campus director and academic dean for an additional term of five years.
Vita joined the SLU-Madrid faculty in 1999 and has served as academic dean and director since 2012. Under his leadership, SLU-Madrid has undergone exciting transformations, including the opening of San Ignacio Hall in 2013 and the 50th anniversary celebration in 2018. The campus has witnessed important growth in many areas during his tenure as director, including an increase in the number of majors offered, enrollment, faculty research productivity and the number of full-time faculty positions. He has also championed SLU-Madrid's response to diverse and formidable challenges, including complex and changing compliance requirements (on both sides of the Atlantic), heightened international security concerns, and, most recently, a global pandemic.
During the reappointment process, Vita outlined his priorities for SLU-Madrid's future, many of which are already being implemented on campus:
- Learn from and respond to the Madrid Campus self-study.
- Lead the transition to adopt and implement the new University Core at SLU-Madrid.
- Build a study abroad program that is more intentional about the kind of educational experience being offered to visiting students.
- Improve services for students in accordance with the demands of higher enrollment by increasing staff and expanding facilities.
- Increase diversity – and diversity awareness – among students, faculty and staff to ensure that SLU-Madrid is an inclusive and welcoming community.
- Foster collaborations with SLU-St. Louis by identifying opportunities for SLU-Madrid employees to partner and participate in exchanges with peers in the U.S.
In a recent announcement to the SLU community, University Provost Michael Lewis, Ph.D. commented, "SLU's Madrid Campus is one of our strengths as an institution… I am excited for the future of our Madrid Campus, and I look forward to working with Dr. Vita and the faculty and staff community this fall, and beyond."
"It is an honor to hold the responsibilities of leading this extraordinary, multicultural institution of higher education, just as it is an honor for me to teach and work here," Vita said. "SLU-Madrid has always aspired to be recognized as the 'leading American university in Spain.' We have achieved this – there is no other institution like us in Spain. Now is the time to aspire for the recognition SLU-Madrid rightly merits as the finest branch campus of a U.S. university overseas."