Stanford University

:For other meanings of Stanford, see Stanford (disambiguation).

History

Stanford was founded by railroad magnate and California Governor Leland Stanford and his wife, Jane Stanford, and is named in honor of their deceased teenage son, Leland Stanford, Jr. Locals and university affiliates are known to refer to the school as The Farm, a nod to the institution's origins as a horse farm.

Related Topics:
Railroad - California Governor - Leland Stanford - Jane Stanford - Leland Stanford, Jr.

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The University's founding grant was written on November 11, 1885, and accepted by the first Board of Trustees on November 14. The cornerstone was laid on May 14, 1887, and the University officially opened on October 1, 1891, to 559 students, with free tuition and fifteen faculty members, seven of whom hailed from Cornell University. The school was established as a coeducational institution although it maintained a cap on female enrollment for many years and continues to have predominantly male enrollment in many strategic areas, such as engineering and computer science.

Related Topics:
November 11 - 1885 - November 14 - May 14 - 1887 - October 1 - 1891 - Cornell University - Coeducation

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The official motto of Stanford University, selected by the Stanfords, is "Die Luft der Freiheit weht." When loosely translated from the Latin, by way of German, the quote from Ulrich von Hutten means "The winds of freedom blow." At the time of the school's establishment, German had recently replaced Latin as the dominant language of science and philosophy (a position it would hold until World War II).

Related Topics:
German - Ulrich von Hutten - Latin - World War II

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