Know Thyself: A Presidential Conversation on the State of the College
March 18, 2024
What is the state of St. John’s College in 2024? This “report,” done in characteristically contrarian St. John’s style, is really a conversation and attempts to answer that question with honesty and complexity.
To do so, one must first look back to the year 2016, when the college faced an existential financial crisis. President Roosevelt had just been appointed to the collegewide presidency and together with the Board of Visitors and Governors, the college launched the $300 million Freeing Minds campaign alongside a significant reduction in tuition. Now, eight years later, President Roosevelt will soon retire and President Demleitner will assume the collegewide presidency. To help the college community understand the last eight years, the two presidents sat down in conversation to discuss how the college has changed during this time, how it has remained the same, what challenges and opportunities lie ahead— and how the college’s alumni, donors, and friends can contribute to the continuing vitality of St. John’s.