Since I became Stanford’s president in August, one of my great joys has been reconnecting with undergraduates. From greeting students and families on move-in day, to attending campus events like Festifall, to meeting the women’s water polo team and circling Campus Drive with the running club, I’ve had the opportunity to meet extraordinary Stanford students who have shared their interests, their perspectives, and their hopes for the future.
It has been illuminating to see Stanford through their eyes and to appreciate what has changed about the undergraduate experience since I was a student, as well as what has stayed the same.
At its heart, the Stanford undergraduate experience is open and undirected. We want students to come to Stanford to ask questions, to try out new experiences, to take time to choose their major—or even to design their own major. We want them to follow their curiosity, rather than check off boxes along a prescribed path. This approach helps nurture their engagement in our world, their creativity, and our community here on campus.
We encourage our students to be curious not only about the world, but also about one another and the different perspectives that each of us brings to our community. In courses like COLLEGE and Democracy and Disagreement, and in the new initiative ePluribus Stanford, we emphasize teaching skills in constructive discourse. On Democracy Day, Stanford’s Election Day holiday devoted to civic engagement, student leaders planned a multitude of events ranging from a public service career mixer to student-faculty dinners and forums, providing nonpartisan spaces to discuss the issues.
‘Stanford is built on a spirit of possibility, optimism, and irreverence. I’ve seen firsthand how today’s students embrace that Stanford spirit.’
Our undergraduates are also creative and entrepreneurial. In October, I visited On Call Café, Stanford’s student-run late-night café. The café began in 2023 as a pop-up in the Stanford post office. Today, it has a permanent space in Old Union and is the fastest-growing student-run business on campus. The café hosts live music and talks, and it provides students a warm and inviting space—the walls are covered with student art—to gather, study, and connect. It’s a testament to the resourcefulness and creativity of our undergraduates.
While much of what’s happening on campus today comes from the ingenuity of our current undergraduates, they have also embraced the university’s spirit of irreverence and the best of Stanford’s traditions. From Gaieties to the Viennese Ball, and from fountain hopping to the Wacky Walk, our best undergraduate traditions from across the generations are alive and well.
At On Call Café and elsewhere, Stanford students continue to foster community on campus. Our community centers remain an important source of well-being and belonging for students. Dorms, Row houses, and neighborhoods host fall barbecues, talent shows, lecture series, and more. As a group of seniors told me recently, the pandemic strained the social fabric when they were entering Stanford, but now campus life feels vibrant—or, as they said, “fun is back.”
As I told alumni at Reunion Homecoming, Stanford is built on a spirit of possibility, optimism, and irreverence. I’ve seen firsthand how today’s students embrace that Stanford spirit. As our university continues to grow in excellence across disciplines, our students also continue to inspire me with their creativity, curiosity, and sense of community.
Jonathan Levin, ’94, is president of Stanford University.
