[yvonne]

Dear Stanford Alumni,

I write to inform you that John L. Hennessy announced today that he will step down as the 10th president of Stanford University. This change will take effect in summer 2016.

The upcoming academic year will mark President Hennessy's 16th and final year in this role. The university has fared tremendously well under his leadership, and in large part directly due to his leadership. Over the course of the next year we will find ways to thank him for his stalwart stewardship of our alma mater. Planning on this front will begin immediately, with details to be shared as they become available.

To ensure a smooth transition in leadership, Stanford Provost John Etchemendy has agreed to stay on in his current role for up to one year with the new president. I am grateful to the provost for this commitment, as well as his years of tremendous service to Stanford in partnership with President Hennessy.

As the Board of Trustees begins the process of selecting a new university president we will be reaching out for your thoughts about the leadership qualities, or potential candidates, you think should be considered. I will be back in touch with you later this year to solicit this input.

In the meantime, I hope you will join me in thanking John Hennessy for his extraordinary leadership over the past 15 years. In Stanford parlance, it has been nothing short of incomparable. The official announcement of President Hennessy's decision can be found at the following link:
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2015/june/...61115.html

Sincerely,


Howard E. Wolf, '80
Vice President for Alumni Affairs, Stanford University
President, Stanford Alumni Association

[yvonne]

Dear Stanford Alumni,

I write to inform you that John L. Hennessy announced today that he will step down as the 10th president of Stanford University. This change will take effect in summer 2016.

The upcoming academic year will mark President Hennessy's 16th and final year in this role. The university has fared tremendously well under his leadership, and in large part directly due to his leadership. Over the course of the next year we will find ways to thank him for his stalwart stewardship of our alma mater. Planning on this front will begin immediately, with details to be shared as they become available.

To ensure a smooth transition in leadership, Stanford Provost John Etchemendy has agreed to stay on in his current role for up to one year with the new president. I am grateful to the provost for this commitment, as well as his years of tremendous service to Stanford in partnership with President Hennessy.

As the Board of Trustees begins the process of selecting a new university president we will be reaching out for your thoughts about the leadership qualities, or potential candidates, you think should be considered. I will be back in touch with you later this year to solicit this input.

In the meantime, I hope you will join me in thanking John Hennessy for his extraordinary leadership over the past 15 years. In Stanford parlance, it has been nothing short of incomparable. The official announcement of President Hennessy's decision can be found at the following link:
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2015/june/...61115.html

Sincerely,


Howard E. Wolf, '80
Vice President for Alumni Affairs, Stanford University
President, Stanford Alumni Association

[stupac2]

Does this matter? Not being snarky, I've just never been clear on what he does or why it matters or why university presidents aren't fungible.

[stupac2]

Does this matter? Not being snarky, I've just never been clear on what he does or why it matters or why university presidents aren't fungible.

[oldalum]

fundraising

[oldalum]

fundraising

[yvonne]

Not a bad guy to have leading fundraising in this valley, either.
http://www.computerhistory.org/fellowawa...,Hennessy/

[yvonne]

Not a bad guy to have leading fundraising in this valley, either.
http://www.computerhistory.org/fellowawa...,Hennessy/

[BobK]

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2015/june/...61115.html

[BobK]

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2015/june/...61115.html

[needle]

My theory is that a bad president can be an embarrassment, but no one person is going to drag Stanford down at this point.


So give the job to Etchemendy and be done with it, I say.

[needle]

My theory is that a bad president can be an embarrassment, but no one person is going to drag Stanford down at this point.


So give the job to Etchemendy and be done with it, I say.

[BobK]

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2015/june/...61115.html

[BobK]

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2015/june/...61115.html

[BostonCard]

Well, the provost reports to the president, and the admissions director reports to the provost.  I think we have benefited from the two Jonhs being supporters of athletics.  Had condi not been provost during the tenure of gerhardt casper, we could have rapidly headed in a different direction athletically.

BC

[BostonCard]

Well, the provost reports to the president, and the admissions director reports to the provost.  I think we have benefited from the two Jonhs being supporters of athletics.  Had condi not been provost during the tenure of gerhardt casper, we could have rapidly headed in a different direction athletically.

BC

[winflop]

Condi for President!

[winflop]

Condi for President!

[martyup]

Condi for President!

Here Here!!

[martyup]

Condi for President!

Here Here!!

[CowboyIndian]

Condi for President!

If we can bring "shock and awe" down onto the heads of USB, Kal and U$C....yes.

[CowboyIndian]

Condi for President!

If we can bring "shock and awe" down onto the heads of USB, Kal and U$C....yes.

[fullmetal]

I think Hennessy's going out on top.  You either quit early or stay long enough to become the villain.  He's a rockstar.

[fullmetal]

I think Hennessy's going out on top.  You either quit early or stay long enough to become the villain.  He's a rockstar.

[CowboyIndian]

I think Hennessy's going out on top.  You either quit early or stay long enough to become the villain.  He's a rockstar.

Maybe to some....but to me he's merely an appropriate totem for the greedheads of Silicon Valley.


To quote John Fogerty:
"When you ask 'em, 'How much should we give?'
They only answer, 'More! More! More! More!'"

[CowboyIndian]

I think Hennessy's going out on top.  You either quit early or stay long enough to become the villain.  He's a rockstar.

Maybe to some....but to me he's merely an appropriate totem for the greedheads of Silicon Valley.


To quote John Fogerty:
"When you ask 'em, 'How much should we give?'
They only answer, 'More! More! More! More!'"

[Spiny_Norman]

With the exception of Kenneth Pitzer (short, turbulent term) and Gerhard Casper (hired in the wake of the indirect cost debacle), Stanford's history has been to hire Presidents with Stanford connections, either as a student, as a faculty member/administrator or both.  I think we should expect the same for Hennessy's successor.

[Spiny_Norman]

With the exception of Kenneth Pitzer (short, turbulent term) and Gerhard Casper (hired in the wake of the indirect cost debacle), Stanford's history has been to hire Presidents with Stanford connections, either as a student, as a faculty member/administrator or both.  I think we should expect the same for Hennessy's successor.

[winflop]

She is an extremely controversial character inside Stanford, which is why she teaches at the Biz School rather than the Poli Sci department.

She may be controversial, but when have you seen her shy away from that controversy?  I think she teaches at the GSB by choice.  IIRC she is a tenured professor within Poli Sci, so I don't think the rest of the faculty can bar her from teaching there even if they wanted to.

[winflop]

She is an extremely controversial character inside Stanford, which is why she teaches at the Biz School rather than the Poli Sci department.

She may be controversial, but when have you seen her shy away from that controversy?  I think she teaches at the GSB by choice.  IIRC she is a tenured professor within Poli Sci, so I don't think the rest of the faculty can bar her from teaching there even if they wanted to.

[CornFed]

I think it's a shame that someone with her impressive credentials can be dismissed, or marginalized, because of prejudices stemming from distortions of her record.  Reasonable disagreements can arise with regard to her depicted role(s) in the Bush Administration, but I do not believe anyone can credibly argue that she was incompetent.  On the contrary, I personally think more highly of her for the way in which she handled herself.  She demonstrated integrity and forthrightness, among other admirable traits in what was surely a seriously stressful environment.  Why can't we all just get along?  :(

[CornFed]

I think it's a shame that someone with her impressive credentials can be dismissed, or marginalized, because of prejudices stemming from distortions of her record.  Reasonable disagreements can arise with regard to her depicted role(s) in the Bush Administration, but I do not believe anyone can credibly argue that she was incompetent.  On the contrary, I personally think more highly of her for the way in which she handled herself.  She demonstrated integrity and forthrightness, among other admirable traits in what was surely a seriously stressful environment.  Why can't we all just get along?  :(

[CornFed]

Conservatives rarely protest.

And "no autopsy, no foul"

[CornFed]

Conservatives rarely protest.

And "no autopsy, no foul"

[winflop]

Whether she shies away from the controversy is not the point. There are many forces at Stanford that would work strongly against her appointment. I doubt if the trustees are interested in making an appointment that would touch off a civil war on campus.

I guess that permanently disqualifies me from ever being a trustee because Condi is exactly the type of person I'd want as school president.  It would bring out those whose opposition is purely political and not due to ability.

[winflop]

Whether she shies away from the controversy is not the point. There are many forces at Stanford that would work strongly against her appointment. I doubt if the trustees are interested in making an appointment that would touch off a civil war on campus.

I guess that permanently disqualifies me from ever being a trustee because Condi is exactly the type of person I'd want as school president.  It would bring out those whose opposition is purely political and not due to ability.

[CornFed]

up arrow

[CornFed]

up arrow

[CTcard]

I think it's a shame that someone with her impressive credentials can be dismissed, or marginalized, because of prejudices stemming from distortions of her record. 

Perhaps it would be, though I see no evidence that someone holding a tenured full professorship in political science, an endowed full professorship in the GSB, an endowed senior fellowship at the Hoover Institute, and is a common public face of the university in various fora has been marginalized. 

[CTcard]

I think it's a shame that someone with her impressive credentials can be dismissed, or marginalized, because of prejudices stemming from distortions of her record. 

Perhaps it would be, though I see no evidence that someone holding a tenured full professorship in political science, an endowed full professorship in the GSB, an endowed senior fellowship at the Hoover Institute, and is a common public face of the university in various fora has been marginalized.