Although much has changed at St. John’s, our commitment to our rigorous academic Program remains unwavering—and so does our commitment to helping students and tutors take this unforgettable journey together.

Other colleges and universities are constantly revising their teaching methods and changing their curricula, frequently adding and subtracting courses and majors on a whim. At St. John’s, academic support refers to something simpler but more profound: It means protecting our distinctive way of learning, regardless of the amount of tuition our students can afford to pay.

Many of the gifts allocated to this priority will be invested, so the protection they provide can endure.

A full third of gifts to Freeing Minds will be allocated to the scholarships and support initiatives that keep the St. John’s experience attainable and transformative for students of all backgrounds.

Areas that will benefit from this priority include:

• Career services
• Internships and fellowships
• Health and wellness programming
• Scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students
• Summer Academy scholarships for high school students
• Athletics and other activities that enhance student life

The college expected to end the 2021 fiscal year with a modest Covid-related deficit. Instead, your gifts helped St. John’s to beat those expectations and meet the goal we set five years ago: to end FY21 with a balanced budget after years of running a structural deficit.

Your ongoing generosity will support our continued financial vitality and allow St. John’s to operate in a way that relies more on gifts and investments and less on student tuition.

The Pritzker Challenge sets the stage for a historic $75 million investment in campus improvements over the next ten years. This extraordinary grant from the Jay Pritzker Foundation will contribute $1 for every $2 gift made in support of our campus infrastructure needs, presenting the college with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to greatly enhance the physical environment in which students encounter the Program.

Through Freeing Minds, the college has already made progress on important projects: our Santa Fe campus will soon run entirely on solar power, and Mellon Hall is in the final stages of a renovation that will reestablish this iconic Annapolis building as the center of campus social life.

Now, through the Pritzker Challenge, we can do more than we ever thought possible. Upcoming projects will:

• Renew and refresh the housing on our Annapolis campus.
• Reinvent the Peterson building as a true student center and a welcome place to gather in Santa Fe.