{"id":228562,"date":"2026-05-12T14:29:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T14:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/228562\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T14:29:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T14:29:07","slug":"sold-st-johns-finalizes-sale-of-its-staten-island-campus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/228562\/","title":{"rendered":"Sold: St. John\u2019s finalizes sale of its Staten Island campus"},"content":{"rendered":"

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 The sale of the St. John\u2019s University Staten Island campus is complete. According to representatives from both SJU and Wagner College, which purchased the site, a transaction facilitated by global real estate advisor Savills was finalized today, and the 16.5 acre facility will now transition to Wagner College ownership.<\/p>\n

Neither school disclosed the final sale price.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis agreement reflects a strategic decision that aligns with St. John\u2019s long-term priorities while preserving the educational legacy of the Staten Island campus,\u201d said Rev. Brian Shanley, president of St. John\u2019s. \u201cWe are pleased that Wagner College will carry forward the campus\u2019s tradition of academic excellence and community engagement…\u201d<\/p>\n

A Wagner College representative noted that the college plans to integrate the campus into its institutional footprint, creating opportunities for growth while maintaining strong ties to the Staten Island community. The campuses are a quarter mile apart.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis acquisition supports our strategic vision for expansion and innovation, and it reinforces our deep commitment to Staten Island as well as to our students \u2014 current and future,\u201d said Jeffrey Doggett, Wagner\u2019s president. \u201cWe look forward to building on the strong foundation established here by St. John\u2019s University and Notre Dame College, and on the long history of Wagner College innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to a letter obtained by the Advance\/SILive that was penned by Doggett and distributed to Wagner staff on May 12, the campus will be ready for use this fall.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn our strategic planning, we identified the need for cutting-edge learning environments, makerspaces, and additional facilities so we can introduce new majors,\u201d the letter reads. \u201cThis acquisition positions Wagner to leverage these opportunities as early as this fall \u2014 faster than any new construction or renovation project on campus could ever achieve.” <\/p>\n

Doggett\u2019s letter notes that the investment also gives Wagner the flexibility to reimagine how its academic programs are organized and delivered in the years ahead. <\/p>\n

\u201cAt a time of great disruption in higher education, we are making a bold statement about Wagner\u2019s future as an institution that continues to adapt to meet the needs of our students, as well as to further define the role we play on Staten Island, New York City, and the region.\u201d <\/p>\n

Doggett told staff that he recognizes that Wagner\u2019s historic campus has its own important legacy and meaning, but sees this acquisition as \u201can investment in one campus, expanding the footprint of our Grymes Hill identity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will be teaching classes, holding office hours, eating, practicing and hanging out on this expanded \u2018one campus\u2019 starting this fall,\u201d the letter says. \u201cFall 2026 classes are already being scheduled with an eye to ensure we facilitate students moving between classes \u2014 a one-minute car or shuttle ride away.” <\/p>\n

Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed, but the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) unanimously approved the issuance of $35 million in funding to Wagner College<\/a> in April, green-lighting the institution\u2019s plans to acquire the shuttered campus.<\/a> <\/p>\n

\"St.Accepting the keys to the former St. John’s University campus are from left: Wagner CFO Stuart Goldberg; Dr. Jeffrey Doggett, Wagner president; and Dr. Jazzmine Clarke-Glover, Wagner’s chief of staff and COO.(Courtesy of Wagner College)<\/p>\n

The agency called the loan \u201ca short-term financing designed to support Wagner\u2019s broader strategic plan\u201d during a live-streamed board meeting and offered details about how the College intends to use and repay the series of tax-exempt qualified 501(c)(3) revenue bonds that are expected to finance the sale. <\/p>\n

\u201cUpon final maturity, Wagner intends to pay off the bonds in full using proceeds from the sale of an undeveloped parcel of land that\u2019s owned by the college,\u201d a member of DASNY\u2019s Finance Committee said. <\/p>\n

It was not clear which parcel of land will be sold and Wagner did not confirm, but during the board meeting, the land was described as a vacant piece of property directly connected to the campus and \u201cnot core to Wagner\u2019s operations.\u201d Its value is estimated to be in excess of the bonds being borrowed. <\/p>\n

MORE BY JESSICA JONES-GORMAN<\/p>\n

St. John\u2019s first announced it would close the Grymes Hill campus in 2022<\/a>, citing a 63% decline in enrollment, exacerbated by the pandemic. <\/p>\n

Originally the home of Notre Dame College, a small, independent women\u2019s college established in the 1930s, the site was consolidated with St. John\u2019s University in 1971. According to a press release issued by St. John\u2019s, Notre Dame College students once used many Wagner facilities, including residence halls and the gymnasium.<\/p>\n

\u201cWagner College is a cornerstone of Staten Island education and shares a rich history with St. John\u2019s University of providing the best for their students,\u201d said Borough President Vito Fossella. \u201cIt always made sense that the next chapter in the story of the St. John\u2019s campus would unfold with Wagner at the helm. We thank St. John\u2019s University for being a good neighbor and pursuing an appropriate buyer in good will. And we thank Wagner College President Jeff Doggett, the Board of Trustees and all the Wagner family for taking the leap and making this exciting investment, which will allow a rich, local educational legacy to live and thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 The sale of the St. John\u2019s University Staten Island campus is complete. According to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":66557,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":["post-228562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-staten-island","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-staten-island","tag-staten-island-headlines","tag-staten-island-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228562"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228562\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66557"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}