Stanford University
Private university in California, U.S. / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Stanford University (officially Leland Stanford Junior University)[11][12] is a private research university in Stanford, California. It was founded in 1885 by Leland Stanford—a railroad magnate who served as the eighth governor of and then-incumbent senator from California—and his wife, Jane, in memory of their only child, Leland Jr.[2] Stanford has an 8,180-acre (3,310-hectare) campus, among the largest in the nation.
Leland Stanford Junior University | |
Motto | Die Luft der Freiheit weht (German)[1] |
---|---|
Motto in English | "The wind of freedom blows"[1] |
Type | Private research university |
Established | October 1, 1891; 132 years ago (October 1, 1891)[2][3] |
Founder | Leland and Jane Stanford |
Accreditation | WSCUC |
Academic affiliations | |
Endowment | $36.5 billion (2023)[4] |
Budget | $8.9 billion (2023–24)[5] |
President | Richard Saller (interim) Jonathan Levin (designate) |
Provost | Jenny Martinez |
Academic staff | 2,323 (Fall 2023)[6] |
Administrative staff | 18,369 (Fall 2023)[7] |
Students | 17,529 (Fall 2023)[6] |
Undergraduates | 7,841 (Fall 2023)[6] |
Postgraduates | 9,688 (Fall 2023)[6] |
Location | , , |
Campus | Large suburb:[8] 8,180-acre (3,310-hectare)[6] |
Other campuses | |
Newspaper | The Stanford Daily |
Colors | Red & White[9] |
Nickname | Cardinal |
Sporting affiliations | |
Mascot | Stanford Tree (unofficial)[10] |
Website | stanford |
The university admitted its first students in 1891,[2][3] opening as a coeducational and non-denominational institution. It struggled financially after Leland's death in 1893 and again after much of the campus was damaged by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.[13] Following World War II, Frederick Terman, the university's provost, inspired and supported faculty and graduates entrepreneurialism to build a self-sufficient local industry, which would later be known as Silicon Valley.[14]
The university is organized around seven schools on the same campus. It also houses the Hoover Institution, a public policy think-tank. Students compete in 36 varsity sports, and the university is one of two private institutions in the Pac-12 Conference. Stanford has won 131 NCAA team championships,[15] more than any other university, and was awarded the NACDA Directors' Cup for 25 consecutive years, beginning in 1994.[16] Stanford students and alumni have won at least 296 Olympic medals (including 150 gold).[17]
Stanford is particularly noted for its entrepreneurship and is one of the most successful universities in attracting funding for start-ups.[18][19][20][21][22] Stanford alumni have founded numerous companies, which combined produce more than $2.7 trillion in annual revenue.[23][24][25] Stanford established Stanford Research Park in 1951 as the world's first university research park which became "the epicenter of Silicon Valley".[26][27] 58 Nobel laureates, 29 Turing Award laureates,[note 1] and 8 Fields Medalists have been affiliated with Stanford as alumni, faculty, or staff.[48]
Stanford is the alma mater of several world leaders, including the 31st President of the United States, Herbert Hoover, the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, and the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The university is also associated with 74 living billionaires, and 17 astronauts.[49] Stanford is one of the leading producers of Fulbright Scholars, Marshall Scholars, Gates Cambridge Scholars, Rhodes Scholars, and members of the United States Congress.[50]