Giving Opportunities: Southwest Scholars Program

With its thrilling landscapes and romantic mystique, the American Southwest has always been both the source and the subject of wonder. This is a land infused with the spirit of the liberal arts, but the magnificent visual extremes that characterize it also symbolize the socioeconomic circumstances of its people and their access to higher education.

Giving @ St. John's

Campaign Impact Campaign Priorities Annual Fund Giving Opportunities How to Give Contact Us Legacy Giving Frequently Asked Questions

As part of the Freeing Minds campaign, St. John’s has launched the Southwest Scholars Program, a donor-driven initiative to recruit and retain Johnnies from the American Southwest. Now in its pilot phase, Southwest Scholars aims to sow seeds of interest in St. John’s College, break down the barriers to admissions, and give more students from this highly underserved region a chance to experience the transformative power of a true liberal arts education.

OUR MULTI-PRONGED APPROACH
- Establishing Partnerships
  
  Southwest Scholars Program is the development of a partner program with select high schools throughout the six states of the American Southwest.
- Fostering Engagement with Educators
  
  St. John’s relies on teachers and guidance counselors to point qualified students to the college, but school personnel are often subject to misconceptions of their own.
- Fostering Engagement with Students
  
  In an area where small colleges are rare, gaining an appreciation for the value of a liberal arts education can be as much of a challenge as affording it.
- Creating Affordable Pathways to St. John’s
  
  Income disparities loom large in the Southwest, and this situation will likely grow more acute in the coming years.

Establishing Partnerships

The centerpiece of the Southwest Scholars Program is the development of a partner program with select high schools throughout the six states of the American Southwest. Partner schools gain access to a variety of resources provided by St. John’s at no cost to the school. The college in turn benefits from targeted exposure to prospective students, enhanced marketing and recruitment opportunities, and a strengthened friendship with key ambassadors who will be a voice for St. John’s in the Southwest.

St. John’s enjoys a deeper relationship with the faculty, administration, and students of participating schools.
Partners gain VIP access to St. John’s admissions and financial aid teams, as well as invitations to partners-only events.
St. John’s is able to target our marketing dollars in a more strategic and effective manner.

Fostering Engagement with Educators

St. John’s relies on teachers and guidance counselors to point qualified students to the college, but school personnel are often subject to misconceptions of their own. Some have been misled by the notion that an increasingly specialized society warrants a near-infinite supply of educational choices, each subject to even further specialization.

By providing them with a first-hand experience of St. John’s, we can help these educators to better understand the benefits of our Program and promote it more effectively–and enthusiastically–in their own schools.

St. John’s will provide key personnel from participating schools with an immersive Santa Fe campus tour—or bring St. John’s to the school through on-site seminars.
Teachers and counselors are eligible for an annual half-tuition scholarship to attend the Graduate Institute in Santa Fe over the course of four summers.
One teacher and counselor per school per year will receive a full-tuition scholarship to Summer Classics in Santa Fe.

Fostering Engagement with Students

In an area where small colleges are rare, gaining an appreciation for the value of a liberal arts education can be as much of a challenge as affording it. This is especially true for two traditionally underrepresented groups: students who are the first in their families to attend college and students from isolated, rural communities.

The Southwest Scholars Program provides opportunities for high school students to learn more about St. John’s and to enjoy a taste of the experience that awaits future Johnnies.

Travel grants enable students to visit St. John’s for an immersive Santa Fe campus tour.
Schools are guaranteed a personal visit and special presentation by admissions staff, either in person or, when necessary, online.
One junior per school per year will receive a full-tuition scholarship to Summer Academy, one of our most reliable pipelines for new students.

Creating Affordable Pathways to St. John’s

Income disparities loom large in the Southwest, and this situation will likely grow more acute in the coming years. Statistics reveal that a rising percentage of college-age students will come from lower-income households and from economically vulnerable communities where a private college education is sometimes seen as a luxury for only the wealthy to enjoy. The Southwest Scholars Program counters these factors by creating more affordable pathways for a diverse range of students.

Students are eligible to receive a $5,000 annual scholarship to attend St. John’s College in Santa Fe for four years.
St. John’s works hand in hand with partner schools to help interested students maximize their options.
A junior nominated by each high school will receive a St. John’s College Book Award.

What Our Students And Partners Have to Say About Southwest Scholars

Your gifts are expanding St. John’s reach, making our distinctive education more accessible to students—and educators—across the six states of the American Southwest.

Southwest Scholar

Avery Lin (SF25)

Thanks to my school’s involvement with the Southwest Scholars program and the financial support I received through it, I found myself realizing that St. John’s was not just another small liberal arts college. It was not just a better place—it was the only place for me.

Teacher

Chris Ferrara

Southwest Scholars has allowed Menaul School to strengthen our students’ connections to great ideas. Tutors have led workshops to get our faculty thinking about how to get our kids thinking. These trainings are force multipliers for our instructors—and that is necessary in a state like New Mexico, where schools and students often lack advantage.
Chris is a teacher with Menaul School, Albuquerque, NM.

Teacher

Aaron Pellowski (SFGI)

Attending the Graduate Institute is life-changing, no matter where you are in life. I found myself constantly exposed to new and brilliant ideas, but just as often found myself rethinking ideas I thought I’d understood long ago. As a teacher working with ambitious and curious students, my experience at St. John’s has exposed me to the higher aims of education, and I feel better equipped to open the doors of wisdom and wonder.
As a teacher at a Southwest Scholars partner school, Aaron received a scholarship to study at the Graduate Institute.

Southwest Scholar

Zippy Rowe (SF25)

I am very grateful for Southwest Scholars, as it allowed me to connect with a school that already felt like home given its similarity to my own educational upbringing at Loveland Classical. The many helping hands in combination with the scholarship have been the driving force in my ability and desire to attend St. John’s College.