Paul C. Reinert
Encyclopedia
Rev. Paul Clare Reinert, S.J., (August 12, 1910 – July 22, 2001) was the president
of Saint Louis University
and a community leader in St. Louis, Missouri
.
During his twenty-five year tenure as president Reinert transformed the university was a vocal advocate for social justice. He was born on August 12, 1910 to Francis and Emma Reinert and died July 22, 2001 in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1927, he entered the Society of Jesus
and received both an A.B. (1927) and a M.A. (1934) from Saint Louis University. He then served as register at St. Mary’s College
, in Kansas
before earning a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago
(1944). After completing his Ph.D., he returned to Saint Louis University to serve as the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (1944–1948), vice-president (1948–1949), and president (1949–1974). After he retired from the presidency, he served as chancellor (1974–1991) and chancellor emeritus (1991–2001) until his death.
Reinert’s twenty-five years as president of Saint Louis University marked a seminal period in the history of the university, Catholic
education, and American education in general. He faced an increased post-war enrollment in higher education and the necessary changes in curriculum. Under his administration, the university admitted women as regular students. In addition, while a junior administrator, he worked for the admission of the first African-American students to the university in 1944. Saint Louis University thus became the first historically white university in a former slave state to admit African-American students.
As the country’s cities faced increased racial tensions and urban universities dealt with the dilemma of the “white flight
,” Reinert committed the institution to remain in urban St. Louis, as other American universities left their urban origins. As a result, Reinert became a leader in the revitalization of the inner city of St. Louis and the promotion of St. Louis higher education. His 1958 appointment to the Missouri Governor’s Committee of Education beyond High School eventually led to the formation of the St. Louis Junior College District in 1962 upon the recommendation of Dr. Ernest V. Hollis of the U.S. Department of Education and Edward B. Shils. He also was the member of other important state, federal and Catholic education committees that established policies that set the standard for education in his time.
As a national leader in Catholic education, Reinert remained confident in the advantages that private Catholic colleges and universities offered to their communities. He sought to expand Saint Louis University’s campus and to create programs that would attract minority students to a historically white university. Under Reinert’s direction in 1967, Saint Louis University became the first Catholic university to include lay member on its board of trustees. This reorganization initiated a trend that transformed Catholic higher education in America. In addition to this reorganization, he appointed lay professionals to high-ranking administrative positions in the university. Even though critics believed that Reinert’s decision conflicted with his position as a Jesuit and diluted the university’s Jesuit nature, Reinert and others believed that the changes both reaffirmed the Ignatian educational mission and broadened the university’s vision for the future. Moreover, his reorganization of the university demonstrated the increased status of the university and its dedication to serving the community. He continued to serve the community after his retirement as president in 1974.
Reinert’s publications include two books concerning the status of Catholic higher education, The Urban Catholic University (1970) and To Turn the Tide (1972), and a history of the university since the war, Seasons of Change: Reflections on Half a Century of Saint Louis University, coauthored with Paul Shore (1996).
Presidents of Saint Louis University
The President of Saint Louis University is the chief executive officer of Saint Louis University.Lawrence Biondi is the current President of Saint Louis University and has been president since 1987. He is Saint Louis University’s 31st president.-Former Presidents:...
of Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University is a private, co-educational Jesuit university located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by the Most Reverend Louis Guillaume Valentin Dubourg SLU is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River. It is one of 28 member institutions of the...
and a community leader in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
.
During his twenty-five year tenure as president Reinert transformed the university was a vocal advocate for social justice. He was born on August 12, 1910 to Francis and Emma Reinert and died July 22, 2001 in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1927, he entered the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
and received both an A.B. (1927) and a M.A. (1934) from Saint Louis University. He then served as register at St. Mary’s College
St. Mary's College, Kansas
Saint Mary's Academy and College is a religious school of the Society of St. Pius X located in St. Marys, Kansas, 25 miles west of Topeka.- St. Mary's College :...
, in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
before earning a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
(1944). After completing his Ph.D., he returned to Saint Louis University to serve as the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (1944–1948), vice-president (1948–1949), and president (1949–1974). After he retired from the presidency, he served as chancellor (1974–1991) and chancellor emeritus (1991–2001) until his death.
Reinert’s twenty-five years as president of Saint Louis University marked a seminal period in the history of the university, Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
education, and American education in general. He faced an increased post-war enrollment in higher education and the necessary changes in curriculum. Under his administration, the university admitted women as regular students. In addition, while a junior administrator, he worked for the admission of the first African-American students to the university in 1944. Saint Louis University thus became the first historically white university in a former slave state to admit African-American students.
As the country’s cities faced increased racial tensions and urban universities dealt with the dilemma of the “white flight
White flight
White flight has been a term that originated in the United States, starting in the mid-20th century, and applied to the large-scale migration of whites of various European ancestries from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homogeneous suburban or exurban regions. It was first seen as...
,” Reinert committed the institution to remain in urban St. Louis, as other American universities left their urban origins. As a result, Reinert became a leader in the revitalization of the inner city of St. Louis and the promotion of St. Louis higher education. His 1958 appointment to the Missouri Governor’s Committee of Education beyond High School eventually led to the formation of the St. Louis Junior College District in 1962 upon the recommendation of Dr. Ernest V. Hollis of the U.S. Department of Education and Edward B. Shils. He also was the member of other important state, federal and Catholic education committees that established policies that set the standard for education in his time.
As a national leader in Catholic education, Reinert remained confident in the advantages that private Catholic colleges and universities offered to their communities. He sought to expand Saint Louis University’s campus and to create programs that would attract minority students to a historically white university. Under Reinert’s direction in 1967, Saint Louis University became the first Catholic university to include lay member on its board of trustees. This reorganization initiated a trend that transformed Catholic higher education in America. In addition to this reorganization, he appointed lay professionals to high-ranking administrative positions in the university. Even though critics believed that Reinert’s decision conflicted with his position as a Jesuit and diluted the university’s Jesuit nature, Reinert and others believed that the changes both reaffirmed the Ignatian educational mission and broadened the university’s vision for the future. Moreover, his reorganization of the university demonstrated the increased status of the university and its dedication to serving the community. He continued to serve the community after his retirement as president in 1974.
Reinert’s publications include two books concerning the status of Catholic higher education, The Urban Catholic University (1970) and To Turn the Tide (1972), and a history of the university since the war, Seasons of Change: Reflections on Half a Century of Saint Louis University, coauthored with Paul Shore (1996).