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Glenn Matsumura
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When historians look back on the history of businesses and
other institutions, they often identify turning points or
crossroads—moments when an organization made critical
decisions and took, or failed to take, actions that had a
monumental impact on their future.
There are textbook examples of this phenomenon in our
recent history: the apathy initially shown by American
automobile companies as Japanese manufacturers improved
quality and enhanced gas mileage, or the lack of response by
computer companies selling “big iron” as the
microprocessor and personal computer gained prominence.
These critical transitions can also have positive
outcomes. We have seen several in Stanford’s own
history—perhaps most notably when Provost Frederick
Terman and President Wallace Sterling assessed the landscape
of American education and the emerging importance of science
and technology following World War II. Terman and Sterling
laid the groundwork that allowed Stanford to become a
world-class university as well as a birthplace of Silicon
Valley.
I believe the first decade of this century will be
looked upon as one of these turning points for American
universities. We are now at a crossroads of truly historic
scale. Human society faces an array of challenges of
enormous complexity and of global proportions. The question
is what role higher education will take in overcoming these
challenges and in educating the leaders for this more
demanding world.
Universities are well situated to address these
complexities, but it is not a given that they will rise to
that challenge. Doing so requires that we change how we
operate—not by eliminating departments and disciplines
but by breaking down the barriers that separate them and
inhibit collaboration in both research and teaching.
Stanford is uniquely prepared among universities—by
its breadth, history and pioneering faculty—to move in
this direction, but it will require bold action supported by
significant new resources.
To that end, in October we announced The Stanford
Challenge, an ambitious new vision and campaign that will
marshal University resources to address some of the
century’s great challenges in human health,
international peace and security, and the environment. We
seek to combat chronic disease by gaining a better
understanding of fundamental genetic mechanisms and
developing new therapies. We seek sustainable solutions to
meeting the needs for energy and water of a growing and more
demanding human population. And we seek to understand the
subtle interactions between human development, the pursuit
of peace and good governance to improve the lives of people
around the world.
A second and equally important component of the campaign
will focus on educating and preparing students to become the
next generation of leaders in a world that has been
transformed by globalization. This effort includes both
ongoing improvements in undergraduate education and a major
initiative to enhance graduate education both within and
across the schools. We also will increase our commitment to
k-12 education, a critical challenge for our country, both
through a new charter school in East Palo Alto and an
expanded teacher education program that is being offered as
a coterminal degree for Stanford undergraduates.
We also seek to enhance the role of the arts in the
lives and education of our students. The arts can help
enhance creativity and innovative thinking skills. Through
new performance venues, expanded studio and performance
courses, and more opportunities to experience great artists
and their art, we seek to fulfill Leland Stanford’s
directive to produce “cultured and useful
citizens.”
Of course our new programs can succeed only if the
structure on which they build is firm. Thus, we seek to
continue funding faculty development and research, as well
as supporting students by ensuring our commitment to
need-blind admissions.
Multidisciplinary research and teaching are at the heart
of this campaign. We must use this opportunity to cross
boundaries and join the best scholars available to find
solutions and pilot new educational approaches. The Stanford
Challenge seeks to build the resources and create the
conditions in which such opportunities abound.
Our five-year campaign will seek to raise $4.3 billion
to support these activities. Because of the scope and scale
of this endeavor, we have spent many days over the past 24
months in discussion with our trustees and with a variety of
supporters about this vision and their willingness to
support it. Fortunately, they have responded generously and
we already have received commitment for more than $2 billion
of our goal.
I am deeply optimistic that when we look back decades
from now, we will see that Stanford accepted the challenge,
took the right path at the crossroads, and became an even
better university. And I think that—in Jane
Stanford’s words—“our children’s
children’s children” will thank us for the
courage of that vision.
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