University is a Catholic non-profit organization controlled by privately appointed board of trustees which is chosen by the Vincentian order. Brian J. Shanley is the 18th and current president of the university.
Prior presidents include:
Per the university's statutes, presidents must be priests from the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians). The trustees waived this requirement due to the limited number of candidates. In 2014, Conrado Gempesaw, became the first ever lay person to be appointed President of St. John's University and in 2021, Brian Shanley became the first non-Vincentian Catholic priest appointed president. Shanley is a member of the Dominican Order.
== Academics ==
St. John's is a large doctoral/research university. It is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and has 13 additional specialized accreditations.
=== Colleges ===
The university is organized into six colleges and schools:
=== Student body ===
In fall 2019, St. John's student body numbered 21,721 students …
