From the
Director
This month, The Dish, a monthly e-publication designed to provide
a snapshot of what is happening on campus, here in the Office of Undergraduate Admission and throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, moves to a new
format that will hopefully be easier on the eyes and lighter on your inbox. In our last edition, we shared that for the first time in history,
Stanford applications topped 24,000 - when in fact, weeks later when all applications were finally processed, we learned that our application total
has topped 25,000 - an unprecedented figure which will make the competition for admission this year severe. Again, we'd love any help you can
provide in helping our applicants to understand and prepare for tough decisions, all of which will be released on March 28 after 3pm (Pacific
Time).
Stanford history was also in the making this month, as we officially announced our
largest increase ever for financial aid. An unprecedented $114 million will be committed to financial aid for 2008-2009, making our aid program
one of the largest in the nation. Parents with incomes less than $60,000 will no longer be expected to pay anything (tuition, room, board,
etc.) toward their children's education, while parents with incomes less than $100,000 will no longer be expected to pay tuition to
Stanford. Even more exciting was the news that the need for student loans for all Stanford students has been abolished. More details are
featured below.
If you know of anyone who would like to be added to our distribution list or want
to unsubscribe, please let me know. Best wishes for an early spring.
Shawn
Shawn L. Abbott
Director of Admission
Happening Here
Stanford University today announced the largest increase
in its history for its financial aid program for undergraduates. Under the new program, parents with incomes of less than $100,000 will no
longer pay tuition. Parents with incomes of less than $60,000 will not be expected to pay tuition or contribute to the costs of room, board and other
expenses. The program also eliminates the need for student loans. Other significant enhancements have been made to the program that will
benefit aid recipients at all levels of income.
"This is the third consecutive year we have allocated substantially more money to financial aid for
lower- and middle-income families," said Stanford University President John Hennessy. "We are committed to ensuring that Stanford asks parents and
students to contribute only what they can afford for an education we believe is among the absolute best in the world. By devoting more resources to
financial aid, we seek to underscore what has long been the case--that no high school senior should rule out applying to Stanford because of cost. We
understand how families face serious financial pressures, and we are doing all we can to assist them."
These changes bring Stanford's undergraduate financial aid program for the 2008-09 academic year to
more than $114 million, making it one of the largest programs in the nation. The amount spent on financial aid next year is projected to equal
half the total undergraduate tuition revenue Stanford expects to collect for the year.
To help pay for the enhanced aid program, the university increased its endowment payout last year to 5
1/2%. It also plans to double the financial aid goal of the Stanford Challenge, its current
fundraising campaign, to $200 million.
"Although Stanford's tuition has gone up over the past 5 years, thanks to our increasingly
generous financial aid program, families with incomes less than $150,000 will now pay, on average, 35% less than they did in 2003-04," Stanford
University Provost John Etchemendy said. "For most of these students, attending Stanford will cost less than most private and many public
universities."
Three out of every four Stanford undergraduates currently receive some form of financial aid. When the
new
financial aid program is taken into account, the average family contribution for students receiving
financial aid in 2008 will be reduced by 16 percent this year. Stanford remains one of the few private universities with a "need-blind"
admission policy for U.S. citizens and permanent residents, which guarantees that students will be accepted to the university regardless of their
ability to pay--and be offered the financial support they need to attend Stanford.
Public
Eye
Stanford students were recently featured on ABC news as creators of new software applications for
Facebook. The new features profiled for the story allow users to send hugs and kisses to their friends. The idea for this software was an
idea that emerged from a new class at Stanford offered by the Stanford Persuasive Techonology Lab, a research lab
which attempts to understand "how computing products can be designed to change what people believe and what people do." The course these
students took is offered through the Computer Science department, listed as CS377W: Creating
Engaging Facebook Apps. While initially an academic pursuit, students have been able to turn their
new applications into fledgling businesses. One group of students profiled on the ABC News video received over 2 million uses of its kiss
application. Once ads were posted on the Facebook application, they started earning up to $700 per day, and ended up forming their own
LLC. In total, three teams of students have already incorporated as companies, just one more example of the entrepreneurial spirit that can be
seen and felt throughout the Stanford campus.
Up Close
When Kris McGinty joined the Office of Undergraduate Admission (UGA) in 1989, the
Credentials staff shared two computers. Now, she manages the processing of 250,000 to 300,000 application pieces in an online
process. Each of these documents, most of which still arrive on paper via mail, must be opened and sorted, batched, scanned, indexed, along
with several other steps, all before an admission officer ever touches the file. As Credentials Manager since 2004, Kris was part of a core
team within the office who selected a digital imaging company and worked for a year and a half to customize the program to meet the office's
needs. She led the way with seven other full-time Credentials staff members to fully learn the new system and provide hands-on training.
This summer, Kris and the Credentials team again rallied in making the shift to the Common Application, a process that involved many complicated
issues of compatibility between systems. Kris' favorite part of her job is the opportunity to meet and work with so many great people, and she
has long-lasting friendships with many of her colleagues from over the years. In fact, she and Louise Walters, who is also part of the
Credentials team and originally introduced Kris to UGA, have been friends since 1977 and remain close today. Kris' insight and leadership
during key times has kept this vitally important process running smoothly, and we are so grateful for her and the Credentials team for all the work
they do. Fun Fact: The largest number of Post Office "Squares" delivered in one day to UGA was 45 on 12/26/07. Each square holds
approximately 200 envelopes, or roughly 500 individual credentials.
Go Cardinal
Stanford coaches have begun to welcome new Cardinal athletes to the Stanford
family. February 6, 2008 marked the beginning of the National Letter of Intent signing period for football, field hockey, soccer, track and
field, cross country and men's water polo. The Cardinal recruits have already started to send in their letters of intent, joining some of our
early admitted students as the first members of the class of 2012. Check the Stanford Athletics website to stay updated on the
newest members of the Stanford family. Students interested in being recruited by Stanford coaches can be directed to the new athletics website
page geared specifically towards prospective student-athletes.
Quick Tip
On February 15 all applicants received an email informing them either that their
application is complete and ready for review or that it is still missing required credentials. The emails also informed students which, if
any, credentials were missing in their application. Rest assured that students will not be penalized for these missing documents as long as they
are received by February 28th. At this time, we encourage students and counselors to fax any materials to (650) 723-6050, as this is the fastest
way our office receives and processes these pieces.
News Flash
On February 17th, Stanford students were not the only bike riders on
campus. Cyclists competing in the Amgen Tour of California zoomed around the Oval and throughout Palo Alto as
part of the first day of the competition. Some of the best racers in the world competed, including Bay Area local Levi Leipheimer of Santa
Rosa, Tour de France competitor and winner of the Tour of California last year, as well as 2007 Tour de France winner Alberto Contador. The
race started in Palo Alto and ends in Pasadena on Sunday, February 24th when the cyclists will have traveled 650 miles. Approximately 30,000
spectators were in attendance in Palo Alto, not only to watch the race but also to participate in a health and fitness festival hosted by the City of
Palo Alto and various Stanford departments.
On Campus
One of Stanford's newest programs is an undergraduate major in film and media
studies. This program, like the university's award-winning graduate program in documentary film and video, is made possible with support from
the Stanford
Arts Initiative. Through the program, students are encouraged to take courses in a variety of
mediums, including photography, sound art, and sculpture to amplify their own process of creation. While many film studies programs are based
in English departments, the offerings at Stanford will be based in the Department of Art and Art History. "The synergy
between the fields of film studies, film and video production, art history, and studio art will afford opportunities for a deeper understanding
across these disciplines and an enriched creative environment," says Kristine Samuelson, an award-wining filmmaker and inaugural director of the new
Film and Media
Studies Program. The film studies program is
one way Stanford students are using the arts to see the world through others' eyes and to share that vision with audiences. In addition to
strengthening programs in visual art, creative writing, drama, dance, and music, the Arts Initiative is engaging the arts and creativity throughout
the curriculum and residential life to expand the culture of innovation that is already part of Stanford's identity. For more information and
to hear students talk about recent documentary films, click here.
Around
Town
Miss America may have been last month, but Miss Chinatown USA is going on now. For the past 55 years, competitors from across the country gather in San Francisco to compete for
prizes and scholarships. The event started in 1953 during the Chinese New Year Festival and expanded to non-San Franciscans in 1958. The
winner's term runs for the lunar year and is a goodwill ambassador for the Chinese community. While the pageant itself takes place on the 16th
of February, the coronation ball will be held a few days later on February 22nd. If you happen to miss the pageant, never fear, Miss Chinatown
USA is only one of
the numerous events being held in San
Francisco's Chinatown to celebrate the Year of the Rat. Festivities run through February 24th including the ever popular New Year Parade on
February 23rd.
By the Numbers
$2 million--endowment for the Hoagland Award Fund
for Innovations in Undergraduate Teaching, a new program that gives money each year to selected faculty to create new courses, redesign existing ones,
or rethink or re-examine particular aspects of a curriculum.
$20,000 - 30,000--funding awarded to each project, or up to $50,000 for exceptionally ambitious
proposals.
3--recipients in 2007, the inaugural year of the program, including Marc Pauly, '96, who majored in
symbolic systems and teaches The Logic of Social Justice. The Medieval Studies Program will also benefit, as Jennifer Summit and Hester Gelber
revamp a core course that will be team-taught with Philippe Buc, bring renowned speakers to campus, and conclude with a student research
conference.
4--new courses added, along with the revitalization of three existing ones in the School of Earth
Sciences, with Hoagland funding Pamela Matson and Anne Egger received this year.
Best and Brightest
Stanford is joining forces with other schools around the country in an effort to
attract the best and brightest into teaching. The Woodrow Wilson Fellowship Foundation at Princeton is offering 33 national fellowships
stipends of $30,000 to send students to graduate schools in education at Stanford, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Virginia, and
the University of Washington. According to the New York Times, the program will also expand into other states and universities that
will agree to redesign their education programs in accordance with certain guidelines. Starting in 2009, 20 fellowships will be offered in
Indiana schools to students at Ball State University, Purdue University, IUPUI, and the University of Indianapolis. Indiana will most likely be
followed by Ohio. The program will not only focus on recruiting bright students into teaching but also on the way teachers are being trained at
the country's graduate schools, a slight departure from approaches to attract top teachers used by Teach for America and other teaching
programs.
