WHEN WILLIAM "SCOTTY" MCLENNAN got started as dean for religious life in 2000, he was pondering questions about interfaith relations in a changing America. Then came 9/11, and the questions seemed to echo internationally. They had become intertwined with war, peace and existence in a global society.
At the same time, the importance of being personally and professionally prepared for globalization became an ongoing theme at Stanford. And for McLennan, who this summer retired as dean, the synergy of that spiritual and educational exploration was dramatic.
"My signature sentiment," says McLennan, "is my gratitude for having been able to be part of an effort to develop Stanford students as global citizens and leaders for the twenty-first century." He has stressed the need to be "interreligiously literate" and "interrelationally adept," noting that "the change I've seen at Stanford over my 14 years is students generally becoming more civic-minded, more idealistic and hopeful, and also more pragmatically involved in social change efforts."
After a sabbatical, McLennan will teach regularly. His classroom contributions have stretched from undergraduate courses to the Graduate School of Business, where he uses literature as the catalyst for seminar-like discussion on morality in business leadership. The challenges of "finding spiritual meaning at work" are part of his excitement about the prospect of teaching every quarter.
When McLennan reflects on his service as both dean and minister of Memorial Church, he talks first about passions such as reducing bigotry, advancing ethical arguments ("I've never felt stifled in what needed to be said") and pushing students' attention to the gap between haves and have-nots. But he is also bequeathing more corporeal contributions to the Stanford community.
High on that list is the new Windhover Contemplative Center near Roble Hall. A harbor for reflection, the center houses and is named for paintings by the late art professor Nathan Oliveira. McLennan has championed its development since 2002.
Notable, too, has been his guidance of numerous initiatives under the Rathbun Fund, begun in 2006 when a foundation donated $4.5 million toward an understanding of "a meaningful life." The fund honors famed law professor Harry Rathbun, '16, Engr. '20, JD '29, and his wife, Emilia. Rathbun was well known for his "last lectures," which connected scholarship with meaningful life lessons. As many as 16 fellowships per year go to undergraduate, graduate or professional students who meet regularly and make group presentations as a result of their dialogue about religious ideas and traditions.
The Very Rev. Dr. Jane Shaw, dean of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, has been appointed McLennan's successor.
