Stanford University
IN-49: Innovation C

Stanford's first new school in 70 years is launching in September 2022 as a way of amplifying Stanford's impact on urgent climate and sustainability challenges. The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability combines Stanford's existing expertise in climate and sustainability scholarship and education with a track record of moving knowledge to action. It builds on that history with a belief that by working together we can achieve more, and that by working with partners in the public, private and social sectors our faculty and students can have greater impact.

The decision to create a new school focused on climate and sustainability arose out of ideas proposed by faculty, students, staff, and alumni and evolved through several years of planning. In Winter 2020, Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne tasked a committee led by two faculty with exploring new ways of organizing and connecting the many people working on sustainability issues broadly distributed across the campus to achieve the design team’s sweeping ambition. The committee prepared a report detailing options for how the university could reorganize for greater impact. Based on the structural committee’s work, the president identified a school focused on climate and sustainability as the best way to elevate Stanford’s contributions toward a more sustainable future. The president also asked Kathryn "Kam" Moler, Vice Provost and Dean of Research, to lead the effort to develop the school assisted by Stephan Graham, Dean of the School of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Science. In Summer 2021, the committee led by the two delegated Deans submitted a draft report to the president and provost with options and recommendations for the structure of the new school. In addition, a nine member student group that had conducted meetings, town halls and a student Deliberative Polling event, released a report detailing their vision for the school.

The new Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability merges and expands on existing Stanford organizations, including the internationally recognized School of Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences (Stanford Earth), Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and the Precourt Institute for Energy. The department of civil and environmental engineering will also join the new school as a joint department with the School of Engineering. The new school will include the facilities of Hopkins Marine Station, which had been administered by the School of Humanities and Sciences.

Joining these existing units are faculty from across the university and an anticipated 60 new faculty hires over the next ten years. When the new school launches in September 2022 the faculty, students, staff and programs of Stanford Earth will transfer into the new school, and students working toward degrees in Stanford Earth will remain in those degree programs within the new school.

Students interested in declaring undergraduate majors in the new school should look at degrees currently being offered by Stanford Earth or the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Those degrees will be part of the new school starting fall quarter 2022.

Students will have access to new classes that we are developing now and that will be offered starting next fall. We’ve already confirmed more than 10 classes for undergrads and grad students, many of which are being taught or co-taught by faculty in the Graduate School of Business and in the School of Humanities and Sciences.

See more details here:
https://sustainabilityinitiative.stanford.edu/