South SFV Today

On December 4, a discussion at the Stanford Faculty Club explored the historical relationship between Stanford University and its patrons. Professors Emily Levine and Mitchell Stevens from the Graduate School of Education described this connection as an "academic social contract," which they argue is crucial for future sustainability.

Levine and Stevens outlined two main academic social contracts in Stanford's history. The first involved the founding of Stanford University by the Stanford family to help develop the American West after the Civil War. Levine noted, “When the Stanfords founded Stanford University in 1885, the West was co-evolving with the newly unified nation after the Civil War – and it wasn’t yet clear how the West would be settled, but there was an emerging pattern that institutions of higher education would be a part of that settlement.”

The second contract emerged during World War II and continued through the Cold War when universities collaborated with the federal government on research for military purposes. Stevens remarked, “Stanford, like universities across the country, sort of saw the opportunity to be civic servants during World War II, and they really step up to the plate.”

As part of their presentation in the Dean’s Lecture series, Levine and Stevens emphasized that Stanford now faces a critical moment requiring a "third contract" focused on global challenges such as climate change. They discussed academia's paradoxical role as both independent knowledge producers and active participants in societal affairs.

Levine highlighted these paradoxes: “The first of these [paradoxes] is that universities are both sanctuaries of learning remote from the world and also they are deeply intertwined with, even complicit, in social and political affairs... And the second is that universities are both a part of and apart from their nation-states.”

In their course HISTORY 58E: Stanford and Its Worlds: 1885-present, Levine stressed institutional self-awareness among students: “Institutional self-awareness is something that we want to convey to students – that they’re not just passing through here in four years...”

During a Q&A session, audience members engaged with topics on civic engagement's future role for universities. Levine suggested declining trust in higher education links to unresolved issues since "contract two." She stated, “I think that decline...is directly related to...the fact that we haven’t yet negotiated contract three.”

Dean Arun Majumdar asked about using climate change as leverage for academic social contracts moving forward. Stevens responded by emphasizing colleges' roles as civic empowerment vehicles.

Levine compared advancing sustainability challenges with public health imperatives: “How good are cutting-edge innovations if nobody believes you?” She called for narrowing gaps between knowledge advancement and dissemination.

Stevens concluded by affirming universities' active roles throughout history: “Universities are actors in history,” he said. Majumdar thanked them for reminding attendees about guiding principles rooted within Stanford’s DNA.

This article was originally published by Stanford Doerr School Of Sustainability.