Presidents’ Report From The Board Of Visitors And Governors Meeting June 2024

The St. John’s College Board of Visitors and Governors met in Sante Fe June 20–22, 2024. In many ways, the theme of “gratitude” permeated the weekend. Gratitude to outgoing Collegewide and Santa Fe President Mark Roosevelt, who retires this week after nearly nine years serving the institution and will henceforth be “president emeritus.” Gratitude to Warren Winiarski (Class of 1952) and his family, whose final bequest will increase the college’s endowment to well over $300 million. Gratitude for our alumni and friends who have supported the college and put us in a stronger position than we could have ever expected a decade ago. Gratitude to our faculty and staff, who held strong during lean budget years and have worked tirelessly to support the Program and our students. And, gratitude to our board, who freely give their time, talent, and philanthropic support.

President Roosevelt was honored during the meeting for the legacy he leaves behind: leading the college through a period of financial uncertainty while slashing tuition by a third; helming a successful $326 million capital campaign; growing the college’s career development supports, academic supports, and diversity and inclusion initiatives; championing a $10 million fund for faculty and staff salary increases; and securing the future for the school’s distinctive Great Books academic Program. Fittingly, although the college does not generally name facilities after presidents, the soon-to-be-renovated Santa Fe bookstore will be named in his honor: “The Book Mark.”

Building on these successes, while continuing to focus on improving the college’s financial outlook and retention rates during one of the most difficult periods for higher education in America, will be key as President Nora Demleitner assumes the role of collegewide president and J. Walter Sterling becomes Santa Fe president on July 1.

Finances

The college has made incredible strides in its financial picture over the past decade as we turned to a new financial model highly dependent upon philanthropy, all while practicing more realistic accounting practices, addressing deferred maintenance and capital projects, and offering more student supports than ever before. Still, we are facing annual structural deficits of approximately $5 million due to lowered student-derived tuition revenue, the ending of federal pandemic-related funds, and increasing costs. At the urging of the board, the college has found additional savings to cut this deficit by half a million dollars in FY25 and more than $1 million in FY26. While anticipated bequests will help address the shortfall in the coming years, the board and college leadership will continue to remain focused on new philanthropic gifts, growing the endowment, looking for cost savings, and planning ahead to reach a balanced budget. A $50 million gift from the Winiarski Family Foundation will be received over the next 12 months which, when banked in the endowment, will add $2.5 million to the operating budget annually. Additionally, the shift to a new Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) endowment management firm is underway, resulting in additional savings from lowered fees and management costs.

Advancement

The Advancement Committee provided an update on fundraising achievements and shared that the college received the third-highest donation total in the college’s history: more than $56 million. This includes extraordinary gifts, such as $35 million from the Hodson Trust’s final payout and large, previously undocumented estate gifts, and an additional $8.4 million raised toward President Roosevelt’s $10 million salary enhancement fund. The nature of these donations, many of which are not repeatable, means the team must continue to focus on stewardship and developing a stronger pipeline of philanthropy from new donors.

The Alumni and Constituent Engagement Office gave an overview of spring activities, including croquet and Earth Day, which were well-received by attendees; shared ways they are collaborating with the Alumni Association; and provided an update on alumni volunteerism and website improvements. Homecoming returns to both campuses this fall with a cost-effective program designed based on alumni feedback and open to all alumni. Registration opens in July.

Facilities

Great progress has been made on addressing much-needed capital improvements on both campuses. Demolition has begun on the Pritzker Student Center project in Santa Fe, with an expected completion date by the end of 2025; IT infrastructure upgrades have increased bandwidth and lowered costs; and fire suppression and phone system updates are planned across campus. In Annapolis, the residence floors of Edensword Hall (formerly Campbell) will be ready for occupancy before the end of the summer, with the new bookstore and cafe on target for a grand opening later in the fall. Recently installed IT servers are now fully operational, improving connectivity for students, staff, and faculty.

The College History Task Force shared the success of the Francis Scott Key panel held in April, which was well-attended and covered in local media and continues to get views on the college’s YouTube channel. A draft report on the institution’s history and association with enslaved peoples is currently under review by the Maryland Historical Trust and must be approved by the Trust and the National Park Service before release. Once approved, the task force will share the report and ask for comments and recommendations on how to acknowledge the college’s history.

Enrollment

This has been a turbulent enrollment year for many colleges due to changes in the higher education landscape and issues with the federal rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application. St. John’s is in a much better place than many of our peers, thanks to the use of an alternate application, the College Scholarship Service (CSS) Profile, to allow for financial aid estimates, and flexibility offered to prospective students. However, increasing competition for international students as well as the coming demographic cliff will continue to put pressure on Admissions to meet enrollment goals. Powerful tools such as the Discussion-Based Application, Summer Academy, and new initiatives will be key to maintaining solid enrollment for the years to come. This year’s incoming fall class numbers are slightly above last year’s in Santa Fe and slightly below in Annapolis, with an increase in domestic admits. Graduate Institute enrollment, particularly in the Master of Arts in Liberal Arts (MALA) program, continues to be strong, and additional efforts will be made to market and grow both MALA and Eastern Classics.

Updates were provided on marketing efforts, including Books by Johnnies, new campus video projects, and the airing of Continuing the Conversation on 15 PBS stations nationwide. The new Johnnie Career Pathways project will launch this fall, providing guides to prospective and current students on the supports available to them for industry-specific, post-St. John’s careers, such as law and government; public health and medicine; business, entrepreneurship and leadership; and more. Johnnie Career Pathways will showcase the internships and professional opportunities, funded graduate coursework, new graduate school partnerships, credentialing programs, experiences abroad, and on-campus studies the college offers to support students in their future careers.

Visiting

The Visiting Committee received an update from the Retention Subcommittee, which has taken a deep dive into enrollment and retention data, examining ways to predict which students are more likely to retain and what additional supports may be needed to improve those numbers. The committee also heard a report from President Demleitner on her recent visit to Korea, where she and longtime faculty member Emily Langston participated in a variety of seminars and MOU signings with three universities, four high schools, and the City of Chuncheon, creating new opportunities and student pipelines for both the Graduate Institute and undergraduate program. Current and former committee members also paid tribute to President Roosevelt, sharing memories and offering thanks for his time at the college.

Mission Engagement and Board Governance

Board members, along with tutors and staff, participated in a lively mission engagement session during the meeting where they considered the mathematical character of consonance revealed in the monochord practicum, followed by a conversation on the role of music in the Program. Four members were thanked for their service as they cycled off the board, and four members were voted in to begin terms on July 1. A new board web page has been created, including member bios and photos.

A board restructuring of the scope of committees has taken place, with the Retention Subcommittee rolling into Enrollment, and the Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee oversight being absorbed into multiple committees. As subcommittee Chair Tia Pausic (A86) stated during plenary, this work has been woven into the fabric of the college and campus life, and efforts will continue to attract and retain a diverse student body while continuing to grow diversity amongst our staff and faculty. The board will vote on Polity amendments brought forth by the Polity Review Committee at the October meeting, and proposed amendments will be shared with the faculty at least 30 days ahead of the vote. The committee is working closely with the deans and is confident in a shared common goal of ensuring St. John’s has governing documents that are legally sound, well-crafted, and reflect our distinctive institutional values.

Conclusion

In his last report as collegewide president, Mark Roosevelt shared the five areas that he feels are most important: our distinctiveness; the new collegewide management structure and campus equality; robust fundraising; staying lean administratively; and continuing to focus on retention and student supports. It is the efforts and engagement of our alumni and friends that help us do this. So, to end where we began: our gratitude. We thank you all for staying engaged and supporting this special place, and ensuring we are able to offer an education unlike any other for future generations to come.

Feedback

If you have thoughts that you would like to share, please contact us at presidents(at)sjc.edu.

Sincerely,

Mark Roosevelt and Nora Demleitner