Celebrating St. John’s College Santa Fe’s 60th Anniversary
A Look Back at St. John's Santa Fe
2024 is St. John’s Santa Fe’s 60th anniversary. To celebrate, we’ll be looking back at key figures, moments, and movements from the campus’s past, all of which have proved instrumental in transforming the foothills of Monte Sol into a beloved home for generations of Johnnies. First up: some archival footage of the campus’s early construction, edited by students at St. John’s College.
Santa Fe Then
Santa Fe Campus Now
Travel Back to 1967
St. John’s core traditions stand the test of time. Listen to this feature from 1967. You don’t need a visual video to hear the similarities between the students and tutors on campus then and today! A tutor featured in this clip talks about the uniqueness of St. John’s academics and its students, “They don’t put restrictions on what they want to learn,” (7:40) and “The success of the curriculum depends more on the students than anything else.” (10:15)
Other Stories from Santa Fe
“The early days were magic—an unbelievable amalgam of a real job and feeding all kinds of curiosities for me.”
Making St. John’s in Santa Fe a Reality
On February 22, 1961, Santa Fe was chosen as the future site of St. John’s second campus and groundbreaking commenced in 1963. On October 1, 1964, the campus welcomed its first freshman class. Today the college remains both similar and changed and is regularly named the “Most Beautiful Campus in America” by Architectural Digest.
Pioneers of Santa Fe: Alumni Stories
Santa Fe Pioneers: Melissa Benedict (SF69) and Daniel Cleavinger (SF69) Come Home
St. John’s Santa Fe is turning 60! To celebrate, we sat down with graduates Daniel Cleavinger (SF69) and Melissa Benedict (SF69) for a trip down memory lane.
Coming Home: Santa Fe Pioneer Class Member Paul Eitner (SF71)
Eitner lives in Audubon, Pennsylvania, but he remains strongly connected to his alma mater—and to Santa Fe, where he established an internship at the Santa Fe Botanical Garden for St. John’s students.
Coming Home: Santa Fe Pioneer Class Member Lieutenant Colonel Chester Carl Bostek (SF68)
“The college was my true home. Every now and then, I still dream that I am there again as a student.”