Stanford University
, in Stanford,_California, is a private university, and is considered by many people to be one of the most prestigious in the United States. It is located approximately 35 miles southeast of San Francisco, in an unincorporated part of Santa Clara County adjacent to the city of Palo Alto.History and Culture
Stanford was founded by railroad magnate and California Governor Leland_Stanford along with his wife, Jane_Stanford, who created the University, and named it, in honor of their deceased teenage son, Leland_Stanford,_Jr. Thus, the school's official name is Leland Stanford Junior University, but is rarely referred to by its full title. The University's founding grant was written on November_11, 1885 and accepted by the first Board of Trustees on November_14. The cornerstone was laid on May_14, 1887, and the University officially opened on October_1, 1891 to 559 students. The school was established as a coeducational institution, although it maintained a cap on female enrollment for many years. Stanford University owns 8,180 acres (32 km2), making it the second largest university complex in the world. The main campus is bounded by El Camino Real, Stanford Avenue, Junipero Serra Boulevard and Sand Hill Road, in the heart of the Santa_Clara_Valley on the San_Francisco_Peninsula. Besides the university, the Stanford trustees oversee Stanford_Research_Park, the Stanford_Shopping_Center, the Stanford University Museum of Art, Stanford_University_Medical_Center and many associated medical facilities (including the Lucille_Packard_Children's_Hospital), as well as many acres of undeveloped foothills. Locals and university affiliates often refer to the school as The Farm, a nod to the institution's origins as a horse farm. Other prominent Stanford-affiliated institutions include the Stanford_Linear_Accelerator Center (SLAC) and the Stanford_Research_Institute, a now-independent institution which originated at the University. The Stanford University Libraries hold a collection of more than eight million volumes. The main library in the SU library system is the Green_Library. Stanford also houses the Hoover_Institution on War, Revolution and Peace, a renowned public_policy research center which attracts visiting scholars from around the world. Stanford built its international reputation as a pioneering Silicon Valley institution through top programs in engineering and the sciences. Stanford has played an important role in the development of Silicon_Valley, and birthed companies such Hewlett-Packard, Cisco_Systems, Yahoo!, Google and Sun_Microsystems—indeed, "Sun" originally stood for "Stanford University Network." The university also offers world-class programs in the humanities, particularly creative writing, history, government, economics and psychology. ''Vintage Stanford University postcard'' Campus landmarks include Memorial Church, the art museum and art gallery, Hoover Tower, the Rodin sculpture garden, the Papua_New_Guinea sculpture garden, Green Library, Frank_Lloyd_Wright's Beehive House and the Dish, not to mention to the Stanford Quad. The Stanford Quad and its original Moorish-Romanesque architecture are part of the campus plan contributed by H. H. Richardson, his successors, Shepley, Rutan and Charles_Allerton_Coolidge, and legendary architect Frederick_Law_Olmsted. Much of the first construction was destroyed by the 1906_San_Francisco_earthquake but the University retains the Quad, the old Chemistry Building and Encina Hall (reportedly the residence of John_Steinbeck during his time at Stanford). After the 1989 Loma_Prieta_earthquake inflicted further damage the University implemented a billion-dollar capital improvement plan to retrofit and renovate older buildings for new, up-to-date uses. Many of the modern buildings were designed in the Spanish-colonial style common to California, with red tile roofs and white stucco exteriors, which gives the campus a uniform yet distinctly Californian look that many find aesthetically pleasing—the red tile roofs and bright blue skies common to the region are a famously complementary combination. The University has its own golf course and a seasonal lake (Lagunita), both home to the endangered tiger_salamander. Stanford University traditions include Full Moon on the Quad, the Halloween party at the Stanford family mausoleum, Flicks, steam-tunnelling, Primal Scream and Viennese Ball. The official motto of Stanford University is "''Die Luft der Freiheit weht.''" When loosely translated from the Latin, by way of German, the quote from Ulrich_von_Hutten means "Let the winds of freedom blow."Academics
The University enrolls approximately 6,500 undergraduates and 7,300 grad students. Stanford has a reputation among students as being a relaxed, fun-loving, warm-weather alternative to the Ivy_League. The schools of the University include the School of Humanities and Sciences, School of Engineering, School of Earth Sciences, School of Education, Stanford_Graduate_School_of_Business, Stanford_Law_School and the Stanford_University_School_of_Medicine. Stanford awards the following degrees: B.A., B.S., B.A.S., M.A., M.S., Ph.D., D.M.A., Ed.D., Ed.S., M.D., M.B.A., J.D., J.S.D., J.S.M., LL.M., M.A.T., M.F.A., M.L.S., M.L.A. and ENG. The University has approximately 1,700 faculty members, including 17 Nobel_laureates and 23 MacArthur_fellows. The largest part of the faculty are affiliated with the medical school (40 percent), while a third serve in the School of Humanities and Sciences.University Leadership
Stanford University is governed by a board of trustees, in conjuction with the university president and provosts and the deans of the various schools.University Presidents
# David_Starr_Jordan (1891-1913) # John_Casper_Branner (1913-1915) # Ray_Lyman_Wilbur (1915-1943) # Donald Bertrand Tresidder (1943-1949) # J._E._Wallace_Sterling (1949-1968) # Kenneth Sanborn Pitzer (1968-1970) # Richard Wall Lyman (1970-1980) # Donald_Kennedy (1980-1992) # Gerhard_Casper (1992-2000) # John L. Hennessy (2000-present)University Provosts
The position of Provost was created in 1952 during the Presidency of J. E. Wallace Sterling. Many people consider the Stanford Provost to be the "heir apparent" to the President because of the five men who succeeded Sterling as President, three were Provost of Stanford (Lyman, Kennedy, and Hennessy), one was Provost of the University_of_Chicago (Casper), while the other was President of Rice_University (Pitzer). The Provost is the University's chief academic and budget officer. The Provost and the President together conduct Stanford's relationships with the neighboring community and other schools and organizations. # Douglas M. Whitaker (1952-1955) # Frederick E. Terman (1955-1965) # Richard Wall Lyman (1967-1970) # William_F._Miller (1971-1978) # Gerald J. Lieberman (1979-1979) # Donald_Kennedy (1979-1980) # Albert M. Hastorf (1980-1984) # James N. Rosse (1984-1992) # Gerald J. Lieberman (1992-1993) # Condoleezza_Rice (1993-1999) # John L. Hennessy (1999-2000) # John W. Etchemendy (2000-present) ''Stanford University, front view of Quad''Notable Stanford Alumni
Political LeadersNotable Stanford Faculty and Affiliates
Stanford Athletics
Stanford participates in the NCAA's Division I-A and forms part of the Pac-10 athletic conference. It also has membership in the Mountain_Pacific_Sports_Federation for indoor track (men and women), water_polo (men and women), women's gymnastics, women's lacrosse, men's gymnastics, and men's volleyball. Stanford's traditional sports rival is Cal. Stanford has won the NACDA_Director's_Cup (formerly known as the ''Sears Cup'') every year for the past nine years (the award has been offered the past ten years), honoring the first-ranked collegiate athletic program in the United States. Stanford offers 34 varsity sports (18 female, 15 male, one coed), 19 club sports and 37 intramural sports -- about 800 students participate in intercollegiate sports. The University offers about 300 athletic scholarships. The winner of the annual "Big_Game" between the Cal and Stanford football teams gains custody of the Axe. Stanford's football team played in the first Rose_Bowl in 1902, losing 49-0 to the University_of_Michigan. Stanford has played in 12 Rose Bowls, most recently in 2000. Formerly the Stanford Indians (from 1930 to 1972), that mascot was changed in the 1970s because it was politically incorrect. The Stanford sports teams are now officially referred to as the Stanford Cardinal (the color, not the bird), but the band's mascot, ''The Tree'', is often mistaken as the school's mascot. Part of Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band (LSJUMB), the tree symbol derives from the El_Palo_Alto redwood tree on the Stanford and City of Palo Alto seals.Notable Stanford Athletes
Notah_Begay, golf; Amy_Chow, gymnastics; Jarron_Collins, basketball; John_Elway, American football; Janet_Evans, swimming; Eric_Heiden, speed skating, cycling; Arthur_Lee, basketball; Mark_Madsen, basketball; Casey_Martin, golf; John_McEnroe (dropped out), tennis; Pablo_Morales, swimming; Mike_Mussina, baseball; Summer_Sanders, swimming; Kerri_Strug, gymnastics; Debi_Thomas, figure skating; Jenny_Thompson, swimming; Tom_Watson, golf; Tiger_Woods (dropped out), golfExternal links
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