Dear Friends,
I am pleased to share with you the 2003-04 Edition of the
President’s Report, which highlights our significant progress
towards providing students with a high quality academic experience
in a nurturing environment. For more than 130 years, St. John’s has
been fulfilling the academic, spiritual and professional needs of
its student body, and we continue this legacy every day.
The academic experience of our students was enriched this past
year in a variety of ways, including the hiring of 32 new faculty,
achieving six national accreditations, and raising over $7 million
of new grants. The demand for a St. John’s education has never been
stronger as the number of applications reached an all-time high of
17,700, of which 3,000 new freshmen represent a class of students
with the highest selectivity and the highest SAT scores in our
history. I am pleased to report that St. John’s is the fourth most
popular private institution in New York State, as measured by
applications.
Inside you will note the many significant achievements of our
faculty and students in such areas as law, business, pharmacy and
education. The revised core curriculum has been implemented and has
received positive reactions from faculty and students. The Discover
New York course, which permits our students to use New York as a
laboratory, is receiving similar positive feedback.
Technology at St. John’s has been recognized by national
organizations as among the best in the nation by industry leaders,
including Intel, Yahoo and Cisco. The laptop program initiated in
Fall 2003 now provides over half of our undergraduate students with
IBM laptops supported by wireless technology at all of our five St.
John’s locations.
Academic Service-Learning and community-based projects have
become part of the fabric of a St. John’s education. As St. Vincent
de Paul calls on us to work with the poor, “with the sweat of our
brow and the strength of our arm,” we call on our students to work
with those less fortunate in New York City.
Facilities at St. John’s are among the finest in higher
education for promoting the spiritual, academic and physical growth
of our students. Summer 2004 saw $35 million in capital projects,
including the completion of St. Thomas More Church, the DaSilva
Academic Building, Alumni Hall Fitness Center and Belson Stadium
Building. In 2005, our science labs and student life facilities
will be the target of an additional $60 million in capital
enhancements.
Athletics experienced great successes in 2004. Soccer, baseball,
fencing and track and field all enjoyed memorable seasons.
The capital campaign surpassed the $200 million mark and
prompted the Board of Trustees to increase the goal to $250
million, which we expect to achieve over the next two years. Thanks
to the generosity of our alumni and friends, increased alumni
participation, strong returns on our investment portfolio and
prudent fiscal management, St. John’s has achieved record levels of
net assets.
We have much to be thankful for and much to be proud of. We are
making a difference for our students, our community and our
world.
Sincerely,
Rev. Donald J. Harrington, C.M.