Stanford Committed to Staying a Well-Rounded University

The Stanford Daily sat down with new Stanford University president Jonathan Levin to reflect on his first quarter in charge. One of the topics discussed was athletics, with Levin staying committed to ensuring Stanford sports compete with the top dogs while still maintaining its academic reputation.

May 30, 2024; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Asher Hong of Stanford University performs on the pommel horse during day one of the men’s 2024 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships at Dickies Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford. When you think of some of the nation's top institutions, those schools come to mind. When you think of sports, Alabama, Texas, UCLA, and Oregon among many others are the types of schools many think.

But what makes Stanford unique is how it can be thought of in both categories, with prestigious and rigorous academics being the focal point of what the school is known for but also sports programs that have seen tremendous success over the years.

Jonathan Levin, the president of Stanford University, took over as the man in charge of the school just prior to the start of the school year in August. With the fall quarter now over and the calendar flipping to 2025, Levin sat down with George Porteous of The Stanford Daily to reflect on his first term in his new position.

Many topics were discussed, but among them was athletics with Levin sharing his thoughts on where he felt things stood.

"Stanford has a really unique tradition in athletics," Levin said. "Not many schools compete with Harvard, Yale and MIT for academic excellence and compete on the playing field with Ohio State, UCLA and Texas, and we do at Stanford.

"It's part of the fabric of the university, especially for the Stanford alumni. The last time Stanford played in the Rose Bowl was the largest alumni gathering in the history of the University."

Historically, Stanford football has been extremely successful, having won 16 conference titles, producing 37 All-Americans, a Heisman winner in Jim Plunkett in 1970, multiple NFL superstars and Hall of Famers and having won two national titles in its history (1926 and 1940).

But while the Cardinal have built themselves up to have a very strong football resume, recent years have been a major struggle for the team. With the combination of the transfer portal and NIL era, and the change of conference, they have finished 3-9 for four straight years.

Recognizing the constant changes that are happening in college football today, Levin is committed to helping Stanford football get back to being great without sacrificing the school's academic reputation.

"We are now facing some very significant challenges, from the professionalization of college athletics, moving to the ACC and financial challenges," Levin said. "So what we have to do is chart Stanford a path in this new landscape.

"That means, first and foremost, ensuring all student athletes at Stanford are Stanford students first. That's why they come to Stanford rather than go somewhere else. It also means ensuring that athletics is financially sustainable and ensuring that we're competitive."

But while sports like football are experiencing some down years, other sports have thrived at Stanford, keeping its athletic reputation as strong as ever. This past summer at the 2024 Paris Olympics, 59 Stanford athletes competed, which is the most that the school has ever had and was also the school that sent the most Team USA athletes.

Levin stated that this summer alone is a reason to be very proud of the accomplishments from Stanford sports in 2024.

Despite it being a new year with a new era of Stanford sports beginning, the goals stay the same and that is to continue to embody excellence at the highest level and continue to live up to the Stanford name and all of its glory.

"We do something at Stanford-- we strive for excellence," Levin said. "That has been on my mind this quarter, and I look forward to working with everyone at Stanford to chart a successful course for our athletics program in the future."