This new mission statement was formulated by a committee of tutors in 2017, and approved by the Dean and Instruction Committee. It was then discussed in the faculty meeting on September 13, 2017 and approved by the Santa Fe faculty. The Board of Visitors and Governors approved the statement in the February 24, 2018 meeting in Santa Fe, NM. The statement reads:

The educational mission of St. John’s College is to foster searching consideration of the most important human questions through reading and discussion of great books—works of philosophy, literature, science, mathematics, and music. Through the study of these works, the college seeks to free human beings from prejudice and unexamined opinion, and to help students make thoughtful choices in public and private life.