Dear Friends of St. John's University,
As President of St. John’s, I am pleased to present this report
of the major accomplishments of our University’s 2005-06 academic
year. As you read through these pages, I trust that you will
recognize two enduring themes.
First is the continuing transformation of St. John’s into a
truly global institution, permeated by a commitment to excellence
and innovation. Among the new academic initiatives highlighted
within these pages are the recently established Institute for
Writing Studies, the new M.B.A. curriculum in The Peter J. Tobin
College of Business, and the partnership between the College of
Professional Studies and the prestigious American Academy of
Dramatic Arts — all evidence of the creativity of faculty and their
commitment to providing students with the tools needed for success.
We continue to transform our campuses as well, with both new
construction and renovations to existing facilities.
Second is an enduring commitment to mission, particularly our
Vincentian mission. Nowhere is that more evident than in our global
outreach, with its emphasis on serving the poor. This year, in
collaboration with Caritas of Rome and several other International
organizations, St. John’s College launched a new master’s level
program in global development and social justice, designed to
prepare professionals for positions related to alleviating poverty
around the world. The projects of Campus Ministry continue to offer
students unique opportunities for service, including, this year,
the chance to assist in rebuilding New Orleans after Hurricane
Katrina and to help impoverished communities in Panama. Student
athletes on the men’s soccer team also had the opportunity to offer
community service on a global level when, during their good will
tour of Vietnam, they worked at an orphanage for poor children.
The close of the academic year brought two particularly
noteworthy events. First was the site visit by a team from the
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools as part of our
regular decennial reaccreditation. One statement from the team’s
overwhelmingly positive report merits quotation, I believe, because
it so effectively summarizes the University’s aspirations for
itself: “If you successfully implement the suggestions made in your
2006 selfstudy and your 2004-2008 strategic plan,” the team wrote,
“the reality of the new St. John’s that you are indeed creating
will be a jewel of an institution in our nation’s higher education
community.” Second was the gala celebration marking the successful
conclusion of our capital campaign, which raised an unprecedented
$272 million that will provide us with resources critical to the
attainment of so many of our dreams and plans. Let me take this
opportunity to express my own gratitude and that of our entire
University community to you, our friends and supporters, for all
that you have done to build the new St. John’s with us. Together,
and with God’s help, we will create that jewel of an institution of
which the team spoke.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Harrington, C.M.
President