Stanford's vision arose out of the ideas of our community members, who proposed innovative ways the university could achieve our founding purpose of promoting the welfare of people everywhere.
Stanford has always been a wellspring of new ideas and innovative solutions, where curious people come to make a difference. But the scale and urgency of challenges facing us today require that Stanford amplify what has made us successful in the past and define new ways of making a difference. We are expanding avenues of discovery across all fields while creating new pathways for applying knowledge where it is needed in the world. At the same time we are ensuring that new ideas are grounded in ethics and solutions benefit from diverse perspectives.
Our vision guides Stanford's approach to research, education and impact and includes new initiatives that accelerate the creation and application of knowledge, anchor research and education in ethics and civic responsibility and promote access and inclusion across our activities. And it recognizes the need to forge deeper partnerships in our community and in the world to move ideas into action.
Infused with our values
Stanford's vision includes four themes inspired by the ideas of our community. Woven throughout those themes is a commitment to ensuring equity and inclusion in our research and on our campus, embedding ethics across research and education and engaging with partners beyond our walls to learn from and give back to our local and global community.
Sustaining Life on Earth
Stanford is creating a new school as a focal point for a university-wide commitment to creating a future where humans and nature thrive, and has declared ambitious goals for reducing energy, water and waste on our campus.
Accelerating Solutions for Humanity
Stanford is ensuring that faculty with an interest in impact have a path for success through accelerators that support teams and build bridges with partners in the world.
Catalyzing Discovery in Every Field
Stanford scholars are driven by curiosity to explore the boundaries of knowledge about ourselves and the world, creating the foundation for transformative advances.
Preparing Citizens and Leaders
Stanford embeds inclusion, civic engagement and a respect for robust discourse in education and residential life, preparing students for lives of active citizenship.
“A purposeful university promotes excellence not as an end in itself, but as a means to promote its mission, which is to benefit society.”
Marc Tessier-Lavigne
Stanford President