The Founding of Stanford University
Stanford University opened its doors on October 1, 1891 after six years of planning and building.
Jane and Leland Stanford devoted to the university the fortune they had amassed, first by supplying
Provisions to the '49ers minig for California gold and later as one of the "Big Four," whose
Central Pacific Railroad laid tracks eastward to meet the Union Pacific and complete the transcontinental railway.
On the university's opening day, Jordan said to Stanford's pioneer class:
"It is for us as teachers and students in the university's first year to lay the foundations of a school
which may last as long as human civilization... It is hallowed by no traditions; it is hampered by none.
Its finger posts all point forward."Today's Stanford
The synthesis of teaching and research is fundamental to Stanford University.
All faculty members engage in scholarly research, most often in association with graduate students or advanced undergraduates.
Stanford is noted for its openness to interdisciplinary research,
not only within the schools and departments, but also in its independent laboratories, centers and institutes.
Several national research centers are located on the campus, including the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences,
the National Bureau of Economic Research and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC).
There are more than 3,500 externally sponsored projects throughout the university,
with the total budget for sponsored projects at $885.6 million during 2003-04.
Of these projects, the federal government sponsors approximately 88 percent, including SLAC.
In addition, nearly $108 million in support comes from non-federal funding sources.
About 4,000 graduate students and many undergraduates are involved in sponsored research at the university.