Stanford University

Leland Stanford, Sr.

1824 - 1893

The seed planted as Stanford University has brought forth a tremendous harvest:

Today there are 147,092 living alumni from Stanford University, heralded as one of our nation’s finest schools. 63,111 earned undergraduate degrees, 68,713 earned graduate degrees and 15,268 earned both.

Some of the most recognized Stanford graduates include: Herbert Hoover, William Hewlett, David Packard, William Rehnquist, Warren Christopher, William Perry, Dianne Feinstein, Anthony Kennedy, Sandra Day O’Connor, John Elway, Ted Koppel, Summer Sanders, Scott McNealy, Sigourney Weaver and Philip Knight.

Recent enrollment in 1995 included 6,577 undergraduates and 7,467 graduates for a total of 14,044.

Stanford’s faculty of 1,455 includes 12 Nobel laureates, 108 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 191 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 69 members of the National Academy of Engineering, 19 members of the National Academy of Education, 20 winners of the National Medal of Science, 35 members of the American Philosophical Society, 4 Pulitzer Prize winners, and 15 MacArthur Prize winners.

90% of the applicants to attend Stanford are rejected.

Over 5.5 million bound volumes, 3.1 million microforms, 5,000 periodical subscriptions and 20,0000 records and tapes are housed in the school library system. Original works from Martin Luther, Sir Isaac Newton, William Butler Yeats, and John Steinbeck reside in the school’s Green Library.

Where would Silicon Valley be if there were no Stanford University? Today, Stanford has an endowment of over $3 billion and employs over 14,000 people.

We are all grateful for the generous gift of Jane and Leland Stanford, Sr. in remembrance of Leland Stanford, Jr. who managed to turn a terrible tragedy into an American treasure.

Recommended Readings:
The Big Four, 1938
History of the Life of Leland Stanford, 1952

Recommended Resources:
Stanford University