St. John’s College is rethinking the presidency.
Since 1986, St. John’s has had separate presidents for its campuses in Annapolis, Md., and Santa Fe, N.M. But that changed over the weekend when the governing board voted to consolidate the presidency, The Baltimore Banner reported. J. Walter Sterling has led the Santa Fe campus since July 2024 and served as collegewide president in an interim capacity since June 2025. Now the board is rolling all three jobs into one. (The college anticipates launching a search for the permanent position soon.)
Sterling told the news outlet that consolidating the presidency will help cut costs as the college grapples with “constant budgetary pressure” and anticipated enrollment declines. Last year, St. John’s laid off multiple employees and tapped its endowment to plug a $10 million deficit.
As costs continue to rise, Sterling said that the college will need to grow enrollment. Otherwise, St. John’s will likely have to make another round of cuts as it seeks to reduce operating expenses. But despite recent fiscal challenges, St. John’s has seen notable growth in its endowment, which has climbed from $170 million in 2018 to $390 million, the Banner reported. Much of that growth was driven by a major fundraising effort.
