Exploration, Hope and Openness Define New President Jonathan Levin: Stanford University

During his inauguration on Friday, Stanford's new President Jonathan Levin said that the university has a sense of hope, possibility and openness.

Study in US: Stanford University 13th President Jonathan Levin, ’94 addressed the students and faculty during the inauguration on Friday. He said, "Stanford is university of the American frontier infused with a sense of openness, possibility, and hope."

“For me, like so many others, the intellectual expansiveness of the Stanford campus has always been intertwined with the physical expansiveness of the American West,” Levin said, as reported by Stanford Report.

Levin assumed the role of Stanford's President on August 1, 2024. Earlier, in the last eight years, he was the dean of the Graduate School of Business. While resuming as President, he succeeded Richard Saller who served as interim president from September 2023.

President Jonathan Levin's speech at Stanford University: More Details

During his speech, he said, “We are criticized for not doing enough to address societal challenges, and for doing too much. We are criticized for suppressing speech, and for permitting it. Our admissions policies, faculty composition, research funding, campus climate and endowments are the subject of heated debate.”

While the protests and counter-protests were going on earlier, Levin expressed support for institutional neutrality. He told The Daily that “refrain from taking positions on social and political issues on behalf of the collective.”

Levin echoed the same sentiments during the speech, "To be clear, we want Stanford’s students and faculty to engage with the world. We expect them to wrestle with social and political issues. Yet the University’s purpose is not political action or social justice. It is to create an environment in which learning thrives.”

Among the audiences were Levin's family which comprises his wife physician Amy Levin and their 3 children. Also, his first-year dormmates attended the inauguration event.

He also acknowledged US history's darker side including exploitation of immigrant laborers and displacement of Indigenous peoples.

“There is a great opportunity to think about all the different things that it took to build this university, some of which are inspiring, some of which are not nearly as commendable, and we shouldn’t ignore any of those things,” he added.

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