Stanford’s core mission of research, education, and innovation has featured in the academic social contract in the U.S. – an implicit agreement that colleges and universities provide broad benefits to society in exchange for public subsidy and autonomy. To whom – if any – is Stanford obliged, and for what reasons? What responsibilities does the university have to society?
Dean Arun Majumdar invites you to the Dean’s Lecture featuring Graduate School of Education professors Emily Levine and Mitchell Stevens, who will draw on their individual and joint scholarship to consider how Stanford has negotiated its place of influence in U.S. society and world affairs over the course of its history. They offer the idea of an academic social contract to describe this process as an essential feature of the global academy and sketch its utility for enabling the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability to negotiate its role in building a sustainable future for its region, the nation, and the world.
“Looking at the school’s progress to date, it’s important to take the long view and place the school in the context of Stanford’s history and the role of higher education,” Majumdar said. “Our illustrious speakers offer the idea of an academic social contract as a potentially transformative mechanism for furthering the school’s ambition to be a global leader and a catalyst in building a sustainable future.”
This in-person event takes place at 3:30 p.m.on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at the Stanford Faculty Club Cedar Room, 439 Lagunita Drive, on the Stanford Campus. Please register by Tuesday, Dec. 3.
About the Dean’s Lecture Series: The Dean’s Lecture Series brings together scholars and thought leaders to the frontiers of research, education, practice, and impact related to an area in sustainability. Watch all Dean’s Lectures.