Stanford's President Speaks Out on the On-Campus Undergraduate Experience. (July 21, 2013)

 Stanford University is seen as one of the most potent driving forces as a generator of massive open on-line courses. Nevertheless, its president, John Hennessy in his column for the July/August issue of the Stanford magazine opens with: "It's time to consider growing undergraduate enrollment."

Here we reprint the final four paragraphs regarding the university's plans for expanding its on campus undergraduate enrolment:

There are a number of issues that could affect both the size and the speed of expansion. Stanford's undergraduate financial aid program is one of the strongest in the country, and we want to ensure the University remains accessible to all students. This requires continuing to build endowment for scholarships.

Housing is also a consideration. Stanford provides undergraduates with a four-year residential experience, and housing must be available when students arrive. The cost burdens, especially for new housing construction, mean some philanthropic assistance will be needed.

We also are mindful of the faculty-student experience for which Stanford is well known, and our commitment to the small class sizes must be steadfast. Also, undergraduate demand is heavy in some disciplines, such as computer science and several social sciences, and we will need to add faculty.

I believe expanding the freshman class—educating more exceptional young people—is very much in the spirit of Jane and Leland Stanford, whose goal in establishing the University was "to promote the public welfare." The financial, residential and educational challenges will require us—alumni, students, faculty and staff—to work together to ensure Stanford remains a "University of High Degree" in this century. In the next issue of Stanford magazine, I will address these issues in greater detail, and I welcome your thoughts and suggestions.

There is little doubt that most if not all of the top research universities and liberal arts colleges in the United States would fully support Professor Hennessy's views.