Stanford University has the largest campus in the United States and is one of the most prestigious universities in the world.
It was founded in 1885 and opened six years later as a co-educational and non-denominational private institution.
Its location, less than an hour south of San Francisco with Palo Alto, is in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley, and the university is known for its entrepreneurial spirit.
The business has its roots in the aftermath of World War II, when Provost encouraged innovation, leading to the self-sustaining industry that would become Silicon Valley.
By 1970, the university had a linear accelerator and hosted part of the early network that would become the technological foundation of the Internet.
The main campus spans 8,180 acres and is home to almost all undergraduates studying at the university.
The university has 700 major buildings with 40 departments, three academic schools and four professional schools, as well as 18 independent laboratories, centers and institutes.
Stanford counts 21 Nobel Prize winners in its community, and a number of famous alumni associated with the university from the worlds of business, politics, media, sports and technology.
The 31st President of the United States, Herbert Hoover, was part of the first class at Stanford, and received a degree in geology in 1895.
Alumni include 30 living billionaires, 17 astronauts, 18 Touring Award recipients and two Fields Medalists.
The Google co-founders met at Stanford while pursuing doctoral degrees, though neither ultimately completed their dissertations.
Collectively, companies founded by Stanford affiliates and alumni generate more than $2.7 trillion in annual revenue, which would be the 10th largest economy in the world. These companies include Nike, Netflix, Hewlett-Packard, Sun Microsystems, Instagram, Snapchat, PayPal and Yahoo.
Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, received her undergraduate degree in physics from Stanford in 1973. Just 10 years later, he made his ascent into space.
In the five years leading up to 2012, the university launched a challenge to raise more than $4 billion. Fundraising exceeded that goal and ended the campaign by raising $6.2 billion, which will be used to fund more faculty appointments, graduate research fellowships and scholarships, and the construction of 38 new or existing campus buildings.
Some of the funds have already been used for major projects, including the world’s largest dedicated stem cell research facility, a new business school campus, a law school expansion, a new engineering quad, a campus concert hall. and includes an art museum.
Unofficially, Stanford’s motto is a German quote “Die Luft der Freiheit weht”, which translates to “the wind of freedom blows”.
