JAN 1885 Founding Grant established
The Leland Stanford Junior University was founded by Jane and Leland Stanford in memory of their …
Milestones
OCT 1, 1891 Stanford University opens its doors
The object of the University, as stated in its Charter, was “to qualify students for personal …
1895 Pioneers of Periodization
Stanford Juniors of the class of 1896 publish The Stanford Quad, the university’s first yearbook. These …
MAR 1902 The Mormon Tabernacle Choir sings “Hail, Stanford, Hail” at a campus concert
Written and composed in 1892 by mechanical engineering Professor Albert W. Smith and his wife, Mary …
JAN 25, 1903 Memorial Church is christened
The dedicatory service of Memorial Church marks a milestone event in the artistic life at Stanford. …
1917 The Department of the History and Art of Education becomes the School of Education
When Stanford was founded President David Starr Jordan, Stanford’s first president invited Ellwood Patterson Cubberley, a …
1936 The Division of Public Speaking splits from the English Department
The roots of the Department of Drama, which changed its name to Theater and Performance Studies …
1938 Dedication of new School of Education building and Cubberley Library
Having retired as dean in 1933, Prof. Cubberley donated a trust valued at $367,199 for the …
1945 The Creative Writing Program is born
Prominent novelist Wallace Stegner comes to Stanford from Harvard and establishes Stanford’s Creative Writing with the …
1949 Sandor Salgo arrives at Stanford
The Hungarian-born American conductor, violinist and scholar, Sandor Salgo, was born into a Jewish family in …
MAY 1951 The Stanford Museum, closed since 1945, reopens on a trial basis
Community interest prompted the university to consider reopening the museum, and in May of 1951, 2,000 …
1958 Design Program proposed by John Arnold
The Design Program dates back to 1958 when Stanford Professor John Arnold, formerly of the Massachusetts …
1959 Archive of Recorded Sound established at the Knoll
For further details see entry under 2009 (“The Stanford Archive of Recorded Sound celebrates its 50th …
1964 Inaugural Stanford Summer Festival of the Arts
Stanford celebrates Shakespeare’s 400th birthday by opening a Summer Festival of the Arts with an Elizabethan …
1971 Native American arts wow in first annual Powwow
The first Stanford Powwow marks students’ initiative to educate the public on the complexity of Native …
FALL 1975 CCRMA is Founded
CCRMA was formed initially for the purpose of administering a $600,000 grant proposal that Chowning and …
1985 Albert Elsen works with the museum to open the B. Gerald Cantor Rodin Sculpture Garden
Dubbed the “father of outdoor sculpture,” Albert Elsen brought to Stanford the B. Gerald Cantor Rodin …
1996 Dance takes a leap from Athletics to Drama
For the first time, dance is part of the School of Humanities and Sciences as a …
1999 Art-brarian delights on display
The Green Library promotes book arts with its first Bing Wing exhibit, Building and Rebuilding, 1989-1999, …
2001–2002 The Institute for Diversity in the Arts is born
The press release titled “The Institute for Diversity in the Arts Opens in 2001-02” reads: “The …
2004 The context of the SUDAC, established in 1997, expands and becomes the Experimental Media Arts program
The Stanford University Digital Art Center, SUDAC, was founded in 1997 by Greg Niemeyer and Joel …
2005 The University launches the Stanford Challenge
The Stanford Challenge was a five-year campaign aimed at seeking solutions to complex global problems and …
MAY 10, 2010 Groundbreaking for the Bing Concert Hall
On May 11, 2010 two Stanford presidents led the celebration as ground was broken for the …
2012 The Study of Education at Stanford (SUES) leads to major reforms of undergraduate education
Recommendations passed by the Faculty Senate include the introduction of new breadth requirements in “Aesthetic and …