MANCHESTER, N.H. – Dr. Michael Lewis has been named the 12th president of Saint Anselm College, effective July 1, 2026. Dr. Lewis currently serves as Provost and Chief Academic Officer at Saint Louis University. He will succeed President Joseph A. Favazza, Ph.D., who will retire on June 30, 2026.
Saint Anselm Board of Trustees Chair Jeb Lavelle praised Dr. Favazza for his many accomplishments and welcomed Dr. Lewis after a nine-month nationwide search.
“Over the past seven years, Dr. Favazza has guided Saint Anselm into the future with steadfast leadership and a vision that has generated significant momentum for the college,” Lavelle said. “As he passes the baton, we are very excited for the experience and perspective Dr. Lewis will bring to Saint A’s.”
Dr. Lewis received his BSc in Chemistry from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1996 and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO in 2001. He was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Harvard University from 2001 to 2004.
He joined Saint Louis University’s Department of Chemistry in 2004. As a faculty member, he received multiple teaching awards and authored numerous scholarly publications. Appointed Provost in 2020, he has been responsible for supporting major initiatives advancing the university’s Strategic Plan and has been overseeing 11 Schools and Deans.
“Among his many impressive attributes, Dr. Lewis is a strong listener who builds deep relationships with others, he has made difficult decisions with the mission as the guide, and he and his wife view serving in Catholic higher education as their vocation and life calling,” Lavelle said.
Saint Louis University is a Catholic, Jesuit liberal arts institution and the fifth-largest Catholic university in the United States with more than 13,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Like Saint Anselm, it integrates the liberal arts, humanities, and sciences into its core mission and curriculum.
Dr. Lewis thanked the Saint Anselm community for its warm welcome on Monday, March 9 and said he was looking forward to helping “steward this remarkable institution with fidelity to its Catholic and Benedictine identity.”
“The mission of Saint Anselm College is not simply a heritage to preserve — it is a responsibility to carry forward. In a world searching for truth, stability, community, and hope, this college has an indispensable role to play,” he said.