The Early Days and the Academy

(1891-1915)

The Stanford campus is designed by the famous architect Frederick Law Olmsted, consisting of grassy fields, eucalyptus groves, and the Quadrangle of “long corridors with their stately pillars” in a blend of Romanesque and Mission Revival architecture (Stanford Bulletin), with no definite boundary of the campus. Such a contrast with the Eastern universities is also shown in its modern education philosophy.

The Stanfords and founding President David Starr Jordan aimed for their new university to provide a “practical education”—to teach both the traditional liberal arts and the technology and engineering that were already changing human civilization through industrialization. Jordan pioneered the major-subject system at Stanford (Elliot, 1937) and promoted the “absolute democracy of education.” Stanford’s motto “Die Luft der Freiheit weht” is also introduced by Jordan at this time.

The early years were difficult, however, as even the Stanfords’ wealth proved inadequate for their vision. Leland’s death in 1893 and the 1906 earthquake dealt serious blows to the school’s finances, but Jane Stanford kept the fledgling university open through her leadership.

In 1899, women entered the university in growing numbers. Concerned that the institution named for her son would become largely a girls’ school, Jane Stanford amended the Founding Grant to limit female enrollment. This was eventually eliminated in 1973.

Though Jordan was an innovative educator and accomplished institution-builder, he was a leader and driving force of the eugenics movement. In 2020, “Jordan Hall” in his name was renamed for his complex legacy.

In 1900, the resignation of Edward A. Ross under the pressure of Jane Stanford led to the discussion of academic freedom and the establishment of tenure.

During this nascent era, Stanford was already producing important leaders who would soon shape the university and the United States, such as Herbert Hoover, member of Stanford’s Pioneer Class of 1895, and Ray Lyman Wilbur, Class of 1896 and MA 1897.

The Stanford Quad, circa 1904.
Courtesy of Special Collections & University Archives, Stanford University Libraries.