"Hello, Stanford!" . . . "I've got to admit, I kind of want to go here" . . . "this is the place that made nerd cool" were among the quips from President Barack Obama in February when he visited Stanford for the White House Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection.
It was the first White House Summit President Obama has held outside Washington, but, as he said, "When we had to decide where to have this summit, the decision was easy. . . . So much of our information age began right here, at Stanford . . . your graduates have gone on to help create and build thousands of companies that have shaped our digital society," so the university was a fitting setting for a conversation about cybersecurity and privacy. The president is familiar with Stanford; as he noted, quite a few alumni have served in his administration, including several who joined him for the summit— senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, '78; national security adviser Susan Rice, '86; U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, JD '85, MBA '85; and former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Mike McFaul, '86, MA '86.
The summit was a historic event that attracted business and government leaders, as well as some of the most knowledgeable researchers in the field. It also was a big day for our students: More than 500 lined up before 7 a.m.—not a sight we see often—to attend the summit; some even wore ties, another sight rarely seen!
A group of 10 students with diverse interests in cybersecurity was invited to meet with senior White House officials. After a wide-ranging conversation with Cheri Caddy, director for cybersecurity policy integration and outreach at the National Security Council, the students were joined by Jarrett, Rice and Lisa Monaco, adviser to the president on counterterrorism. Then, a surprise visitor, President Obama, arrived to lead the discussion.
He asked about their interests in cybersecurity and then opened it up to other topics. Sarah Kunis, one of the three seniors in the honors program at Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation, had U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power's book with her, and that prompted a discussion on Syria, intervention and whether a national draft was a good idea. Junior Brad Girardeau, a computer science major, said President Obama's remarks inspired him to consider public service opportunities in government. Senior Kaitlyn Benitez-Strine, a symbolic systems major and Army ROTC cadet who is interested in a career in military intelligence, described the whole conversation as "an amazing, unforgettable experience."
It was a rare opportunity for our students—and a compelling opportunity for the university to host a meeting bringing together leaders in government, academia and industry to discuss a difficult and sometimes divisive problem. The role that universities can play as the convener in such discussion is critical, given the scale of this and other complex problems we face.
The Internet and the World Wide Web have delivered enormous benefits to society; people are more interconnected than ever, and the idea of community extends far beyond physical boundaries. We are also more vulnerable to cyberattacks, and such attacks could undermine many of the benefits we have gained from this technology. Recognizing this, last year Stanford launched a university-wide, interdisciplinary Cyber Initiative with support from the Hewlett Foundation to tackle the challenge. But as President Obama said, "This has got to be a shared mission." To reduce and contain that threat will require industry and research universities working in partnership with the government. Stanford will be an important partner in addressing this challenge.
John Hennessy was the president of Stanford University.
