"One of the strengths of Saint Vincent College is the core curriculum and the ability to teach one to look broadly at the world and to communicate effectively," said Dr. Slepitza. Writing across the curriculum was also a strong component.

 After graduating from Saint Vincent, he went on to obtain his master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Maryland. Dr. Slepitza served as the university’s coordinator of community and program development from 1978-1980, and as the director of student and staff programs at the university’s department of resident life.

From 1984 to 1993, he served as associate vice president for student services at Creighton University, a Jesuit Catholic University in Omaha, Nebraska.  Dr. Slepitza then joined the administration at Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, as vice president for student development and special counsel to the president for strategic planning.  He remained in this position for 13 years.

While at Xavier, he led the strategic planning steering committee, administrative program review, NCAA certification committee, and served on the North Central accreditation, budget committee, university crisis management team, university technology committee, and the Ignatian programs committee.

Outside of the university, Dr. Slepitza was president of Hamilton County, Ohio, Special Olympics, chairman of the board of the Eastern Catholic Alliance of Schools for Excellence, and worked with the United Way to create outcomes oriented measures of impact.

On Oct. 20, 2006, Dr. Slepitza was formally inaugurated as the 13^th president of Avila University, Kansas City, Missouri.

Looking back at his time at Saint Vincent, Dr. Slepitza said the small intimate, caring character of the college enabled him to “engage with faculty and let me be a more effective student; to probe deeper and to follow through on questions.”

He and his wife, Suzanne, have two children, Andrew and Molly, both students at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles.