Over the course of his presidency, Fr. Lawrence Biondi led a transformation of the Saint Louis University campuses in St. Louis and in Madrid, Spain.
Those transformations took many forms but were most apparent to alumni and those outside of SLU in the physical reshaping of the campuses – changing SLU from a primarily commuter school to contained campuses that house thousands of undergraduate students on what has been referred to on many occasions as one of the most beautiful urban campuses in the United States.
During his presidency, Fr. Biondi received dozens of honors, many of them for SLU’s leadership in advancing the St. Louis region and its commitment to service in the Jesuit tradition.
Milestones During Fr. Biondi's Tenure
- Investment of more than $1 billion in academics and campus buildings and infrastructure.
- More than doubling the size and number of SLU-owned buildings from 62 to 139, including:
- $82 million Doisy Research Center in 2007
- $81 million Chaifetz Arena in 2008
- $19 million addition to SLU’s Madrid campus in 2013
- $33 million renovation of Scott Hall in downtown St. Louis, new home of SLU’s law school in 2013
- Co-founding of Casa de Salud in 2010.
- Other significant construction projects including: the major expansion of the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business, McDonnell Douglas Hall, Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology, Doisy College of Health Sciences, Renovation of Pius XII Library, Saint Louis University Museum of Art (SLUMA), Marvin and Harlene Wool Center, Center for Advanced Dental Education, Busch Student Center, Center for Global Citizenship, Hotel Ignacio, Salus Center and Water Tower Inn, Medical Center Stadium, Medical Center Student Union, and the Vandeventer-Laclede Intramural Field.
- Expansion of SLU-owned acres in Midtown St. Louis from 113 in FY 1987 to 286 in FY 2013.
- Successful completion of three comprehensive fundraising campaigns, which together totaled more than $600 million.
- Growth of the University’s endowment from $93 million in 1987 to more than $1 billion in 2013.
- Increase of net assets from $534 million in FY 1987 to $1.5 billion in FY 2013.
- Dramatic increase in the number of new freshmen students, from 660 in 1987 to 1,618 in 2013.
- Increase in the size of the SLU faculty by 180 percent, from 1,132 to 3,177.
- Sale of Saint Louis University Hospital to Tenet Healthcare Corporation for $300 million in 1998.
- Increase in the number of students living on campus from 1,712 in FY 1987 to 3,820 in FY 2013.
- Increase of the average ACT scores of entering freshmen from 22.7 in FY 1987 to 27.8 in FY 2013.
View the dramatic changes that were made to SLU's physical campuses between 1987 and 2013.
Father Biondi: Awards and Honors, 1992-2015
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1992 |
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1993 |
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1994 |
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1995 |
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1996 |
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1997 |
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1998 |
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1999 |
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2001 |
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2002 |
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2003 |
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2004 |
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2007 |
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2008 |
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2010 |
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2011 |
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2012 |
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2013 |
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2015 |
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