August 20, 2026
The annual President’s Dinner is a celebration of what makes St. John’s University a unique community of learning.
The 29th annual President’s Dinner, scheduled for October 29, 2026, adds to a legacy of scholarship and student support rooted in St. Vincent de Paul’s mission to serve those most in need.
Since its inception in 1998, the President’s Dinner has raised more than $60 million for students whose economic circumstances might prevent them from attending the University. Last year’s dinner raised a record-tying $4 million in conjunction with the University’s Hearts on Fire fundraising campaign, which seeks to elevate the St. John’s experience through investments in students, faculty, academics, and campus life.
The 2026 President’s Dinner will be held at the New York Hilton Midtown, 1335 Sixth Avenue, in Manhattan, beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online; those unable to attend the dinner can still contribute through the donor portal.
“Funds raised at the annual President’s Dinner provide critical resources to St. John’s students, particularly those most in need of financial assistance,” said Christian P. Vaupel, Ed.D., Senior Vice President for Advancement. “By supporting the dinner and the University’s scholarship program, donors make meaningful investments in students’ lives, in the lives of their families, and in the lives of those they will encounter in the future when they graduate and become part of the broader community.”
“We are so appreciative of the funds that our donors entrust to us,” Dr. Vaupel added.
Last year’s President’s Dinner student speaker Sarah Rao ’25TCB said the University’s generosity enabled her to become the first member of her family to graduate from college. She will begin studies in September toward a master of business administration degree at The Peter J. Tobin College of Business at St. John’s.
Ms. Rao, a member of the President’s Society while an undergraduate, said her St. John’s experience was built upon Catholic and Vincentian values, “guided by faith, and made possible by the generosity of individuals like you.”
The President’s Dinner is one of the University’s most festive events, rooted in joy, hope, gratitude, and nostalgia. Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., President of St. John’s, calls it his favorite St. John’s event “by a million miles,” acknowledging the value of Catholic education in elevating the lives of the less fortunate.
It is also an opportunity for the University to honor members of the St. John’s community with distinguished Spirit of Service awards. This year’s honorees are
- Salvatore M. Barcia, R.Ph. ’79CPHS, ’86M.S., founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Meta Healthcare IT Solutions, LLC, and member of the Board of Governors and the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Dean’s Advisory Board;
- Margaret M. Keane ’81SJC, ’87M.B.A., ’19HON, Chief Executive Officer, Cisive and a member of the University’s Board of Trustees;
- Arthur J. Raymond, Ph.D. ’52SJC (posthumously), former executive at Sun Company who shaped environmental policy and compliance efforts across the energy sector and government;
- Chin Ling Wang ’06HON and Sallie Wang (both posthumously): Mr. Wang was a former tenured professor and librarian for nearly 30 years at St. John’s; Mrs. Wang was a programmer in the financial services industry. Together they donated $1 million to establish the Chin Ying Asian Library at the University in 2006. In 2024, the University received a $15 million gift from the Sallie Wang Revocable Trust.