SLU President Appears on KMOX

08/25/2022

Saint Louis University President Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D., joined KMOX Radio in the studio Thursday to discuss SLU, St. Louis, and higher education.

Pestello sat down with Carol Daniel and Tom Ackerman as part of the station’s back-to-school series, which included interviews with a number of area college and university presidents.

With the Biden administration announcing a student loan forgiveness plan this week, the cost of higher education was top of mind during the conversation with Pestello.

“We're all concerned with the affordability of higher education,” Pestello said. “What you'll find is that families are stepping up and universities have tremendously increased aid.”

“We need the government to also participate in that and make education — primary, secondary and higher education — more of a priority than it has been,” he added.

Pestello also addressed speech on college campuses today, saying he’s committed to ensuring — as best he can — that every student feels comfortable respectfully expressing their views.

“I do think that's one of the joys about college campuses,” Pestello said. “We are open. We encourage debate. We encourage a variety of disciplines and perspectives. I think Jesuit education, in particular, is known for that.”

The topic of safety closed out the interview. Pestello noted that SLU has a safe campus and works closely with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. He also believes the billions of dollars of investment taking place in Midtown also is having a positive impact.

“Part of our vision is to reimagine, transform and unite St. Louis, and we want to work in partnership with others in doing that,” Pestello said. “We take very seriously our responsibility in working with others to make this region great, and safety is a part of that.”

Click here to listen to the full interview.