The Inauguration of
J. Walter Sterling
On February 27, 2026, St. John’s College Santa Fe will install its new president, J. Walter Sterling. President Sterling becomes the 8th Santa Fe president in the campus’ 60-year history and is the first undergraduate alum (Annapolis Class of 1993) and first former dean and faculty member to be appointed as campus president. Together, the St. John’s College community and honored guests will observe the historic occasion with a day of activities and celebration on-campus. The ceremony will be live-streamed.
J. Walter Sterling’s Bio
J. Walter Sterling (A93) was appointed by the Board of Visitors and Governors as the eighth president of St. John’s College Santa Fe in January 2024, beginning his tenure in July 2024. At St. John’s, Sterling has been a member of the teaching faculty since 2003 and recently concluded his second term as dean. He holds a BA from St. John’s, Annapolis, an MA in philosophy from Emory University, and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame. He has taught at Loyola University Maryland, Temple University, and Gwynedd-Mercy University. Sterling is a member of the board and visiting teaching faculty of the Rome Institute of Liberal Arts and serves on the Academic Advisory Council of the Jack Miller Center. He has also worked outside academia supporting mission-driven nonprofits such as Project HOME in Philadelphia.
Weekend-Long Celebration Schedule of Events
The inauguration kicks off a weekend of celebration of St. John’s College and of our newly renovated Pritzker Student Center. The expanded coffee shop and bookstore will be open to all. The restored Alexander Girard mural and other design features will be on display. The art gallery will reprise the beloved 2024 archival exhibition celebrating 60 years of the Santa Fe Campus of St. John’s College.
Friday, February 27, 2026
Inauguration Ceremony
4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Pritzker Student Center, Great Hall
This event will be livestreamed. In-person attendance open to invited guests.
Reception
5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Pritzker Student Center
Open to invited guests.
Keynote Event: A Conversation with Shilo Brooks
8 p.m.
Pritzker Student Center
Join alum Shilo Brooks (Annapolis Class of 2006) for a conversation on liberal education, democracy, and his experience reading and teaching Great Books. Shilo Brooks is President and CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Center, the host of the podcast “Old School,” and Professor of Practice in the Department of Political Science at SMU. He was previously Executive Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University, where he taught in the Department of Politics. Open to the public. Seating on a first-come, first-served basis. This conversation will be recorded and posted on the college’s YouTube channel on a future date.
Saturday, February 28, 2026
“The Life of the Mind at Work in the World” Alumni Panel
4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Pritzker Student Center, Great Hall
Featuring leading international, national, and local alumni voices from literature, journalism, law, public ethics, and the arts including a National Book Award winner, a former ESPN sports journalist, a renowned bioethicist, and the executive director of Creative Santa Fe.
Open to the public. Seating on a first-come, first-served basis.
Sunday, March 1, 2026
Alumni Association Annual Awards
10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Scottish Rite Temple
The St. John’s College Alumni Association will hold its annual awards reception for the first time in Santa Fe, honoring distinguished alumni from both campuses whose work reflects the enduring value of a St. John’s education. Awardees include NPR’s chief international editor, a leading environmental lawyer, and the founder of South Korea’s Great Books Center.
Open to the St. John’s College community including alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends. For more information and to register, visit Alumni Association Awards Reception.
A Lecture by Musa al-Gharbi
4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Pritzker Student Center, Great Hall
Al-Gharbi is a public intellectual and writer best known for his work on polarization and the value of heterodoxy in our thinking and in the academy.
Open to the public. Seating on a first-come, first-served basis.
Directions, Parking and Accommodations
Inauguration activities will be held in the Pritzker Student Center, 1160 Camino de Cruz Blanca, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Parking information will be shared with registered guests as it gets closer to the event. More about the Santa Fe campus.