Mission

Residential Education is a unit under the Dean of Student Affairs. The Office of Residential Education is responsible for developing the policies, programs, and staffing which support the intellectual, educational, and community-building activities in student residences. The Residential Education program provides Stanford undergraduates a small community experience within a large research university. The essential conviction of Residential Education is that living and learning should be integrated, not separate; that formal teaching, informal learning, and personal support in residences is integral to a Stanford education. Residential Education programs extend the classroom into the residences and complement the academic curriculum with activities and experiences essential to students' preparation for a life of leadership, intellectual engagement, citizenship and service.

A diverse system of housing provides students with a variety of educational settings including academic theme and focus houses, ethnic theme houses, self-managed and cooperative residences, apartments and suites in addition to traditional residences. Residences with first-year students, academically-linked houses and some upper-class houses have 35 faculty/senior staff serving as Resident Fellows. Students in peer leadership roles and administrative support staff advance the goals of Residential Education in all houses.

Residential Education performs five primary functions in each residence:

Intellectual engagement
Intellectual engagement through interaction with faculty, residence-based classes, informal learning experiences, exposure to arts and culture, discussions of issues, and introduction to an array of engaging people, ideas, and multicultural experiences.

Support for academic progress and success
Support for students' academic progress and success through residence-based freshman advising, personal counseling, referrals, computer assistance, and programs and services designed to help students negotiate their individual academic paths at Stanford.

Pluralistic community
Development of a pluralistic community where each student feels fully included and where the environment is characterized by mutual concern, empathy, the active exchange of views, and the freedom to differ intellectually, culturally and politically.

Leadership
Training in leadership and management skills and opportunities to exercise responsibility for personal and group decisions.

Personal and social development
Support for students' personal growth and maturation, recognizing that there are developmental stages and stressors common to college students, but not a common timeline - through discussions of social norms, parental and peer pressure, health education, and programs designed to enhance students' well-being and ability to use the campus resources available to them.