Winiarskis give gift to their college alma mater

St. John’s College, in Santa Fe, N.M., announces it has exceeded its $125 million capital campaign goal — thanks in part to the generosity of Barbara and Warren Winiarski, founders of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars in Napa.

Their $5 million gift will help fund the construction of a new residential center on campus. In addition to student dormitory rooms and common rooms, the facility will add new classrooms and faculty offices.
“Currently St. John’s houses two-thirds of its student body on campus; additional dormitory space will allow 80 percent of undergraduates to live on campus. The construction of a new dormitory will enhance the sense of community for students and enrich their experience at St. John’s,” said Michael Peters, president of St. John’s College in Santa Fe, N.M.

The Winiarskis met at St. John’s  College in the 1950s, where Barbara (Dvorak) was an aspiring painter. Born in Chicago to Polish immigrants, Warren returns to the Santa Fe campus each year to lead one of the college’s summer classics and serves on the college’s Board of Visitors and Governors.
In conveying the family’s gift, Warren Winiarski said, “It is my fervent hope that this residential center will contribute to the strengthening and enhancing of the community of learning on the Santa Fe campus by permitting more students to reside on campus.” 

 Known for its distinctive curriculum based on the great books, St. John’s maintains one of the lowest faculty-to-student ratios (1:8) in higher education in the United States.
St. John’s College, with campuses in Santa Fe, and Annapolis, Md., is an independent, non-denominational four-year liberal arts college. The integrated curriculum is based on the chronological study of the foundations of Western civilization, beginning with Homer, Sophocles, and Plato.