St. John’s College moved to consolidate its presidential leadership after its governing board voted to fold separate campus presidencies into a single office across Annapolis, Maryland, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. J. Walter Sterling, who has led the Santa Fe campus and served as interim collegewide president, will now oversee the combined role as the search for a permanent president begins. Board leadership framed the change as a cost-cutting step while St. John’s faces constant budgetary pressure and anticipates enrollment declines. The college previously laid off multiple employees and used its endowment to plug a $10 million deficit. Sterling said enrollment growth is critical to avoid additional cuts, while noting the endowment has risen from $170 million in 2018 to $390 million, largely driven by fundraising. The consolidation signals how small, tuition-dependent institutions are restructuring governance to preserve academic operations while managing near-term demand risk.