April 29, 2012

The Old-School President of St. John's College Embraces Technology ... Slowly

Old-School President Slowly Embraces Technology 1

Susana Raab for The Chronicle

St. John's College president Christopher B. Nelson (center) leads a seminar on "War and Peace."

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Susana Raab for The Chronicle

St. John's College president Christopher B. Nelson (center) leads a seminar on "War and Peace."

By Jack Stripling

Christopher B. Nelson, of St. John's College in Maryland, can hardly be blamed for his slow courtship with technology. He is president of St. John's College, a tradition-bound institution that embraces a classical curriculum that would make Socrates proud. Indeed, some administrators on the Annapolis, Md., campus were skeptical when Mr. Nelson took a shine to e-mail and the use of digital documents less than a decade ago.

"They used to joke that the school would somehow change when