The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University

Stanford's Mission The Stanford University Founding Grant (https://wasc.stanford.edu/files/FoundingGrant.pdf) (pdf), dated November 11, 1885, outlines the founding principles of the University. The Founding Grant describes the "Nature, Object, and Purposes of the Institution" founded by Leland Stanford and Jane Lathrop Stanford in these terms: Its nature, that of a university with such seminaries of learning as shall make it of the highest grade, including mechanical institutes, museums, galleries of art, laboratories, and conservatories, together with all things necessary for the study of agriculture in all its branches, and for mechanical training, and the studies and exe... read more Stanford's Mission The Stanford University Founding Grant (https://wasc.stanford.edu/files/FoundingGrant.pdf) (pdf), dated November 11, 1885, outlines the founding principles of the University. The Founding Grant describes the "Nature, Object, and Purposes of the Institution" founded by Leland Stanford and Jane Lathrop Stanford in these terms: Its nature, that of a university with such seminaries of learning as shall make it of the highest grade, including mechanical institutes, museums, galleries of art, laboratories, and conservatories, together with all things necessary for the study of agriculture in all its branches, and for mechanical training, and the studies and exercises directed to the cultivation and enlargement of the mind; Its object, to qualify its students for personal success, and direct usefulness in life; And its purposes, to promote the public welfare by exercising an influence in behalf of humanity and civilization, teaching the blessings of liberty regulated by law, and inculcating love and reverence for the great principles of government as derived from the inalienable rights of man to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Each of Stanford's seven schools has its own mission statement and those can be found by following the links below: School of Earth Sciences Mission Statement (http://pangea.stanford.edu/about) Graduate School of Business Mission Statement (http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/about/mission.html) School of Humanities and Sciences Mission Statement (http://www.stanford.edu/dept/humsci/external/about) School of Engineering Mission Statement (http://soe.stanford.edu/about) School of Medicine Mission Statement (http://medstrategicplan.stanford.edu/fullreport/mission_goals.html) School of Education Mission Statement (http://ed.stanford.edu/suse/aboutsuse/mission.html) Stanford Law School Mission Statement (http://www.law.stanford.edu/school) A Brief History of Stanford On October 1, 1891, more than 400 enthusiastic young men and women were on hand for opening day ceremonies at Leland Stanford Junior University. They came from all over: many from California, some who followed professors hired from other colleges and universities, and some simply seeking adventure in the West. They came to seize a special opportunity, to be part of the pioneer class in a brand new university. They stayed to help turn an ambitious dream into a thriving reality. As a pioneer faculty member recalled, "Hope was in every heart, and the presiding spirit of freedom prompted us to dare greatly." For Leland and Jane Stanford on that day, the University was the realization of a dream and a fitting tribute to the memory of their only son, who died of typhoid fever weeks before his 16th birthday, at an age when many young men and women were planning their college education. From the beginning, it was clear that Stanford would be different. It was coeducational at a time when single-sex colleges were the norm. It was non-sectarian when most private colleges were still affiliated with a church. And it offered a broad, flexible program of study while most schools insisted on a rigid curriculum of classical studies. Though there were many difficulties during the first months (housing was inadequate, microscopes and books were late in arriving from the East), the first year foretold greatness. As Jane Stanford wrote in the summer of 1892, "Even our fondest hopes have been realized." What manner of people were this man and this woman who had the intelligence, the means, the faith, and the daring to plan a major university in Pacific soil, far from the nation's center of culture?