Stanford seeks fresh start following president’s resignation after ’embarrassing’ year.
A Year of Turmoil at Stanford University
A year of turmoil at Stanford University came to a head this week as the university president, Marc Tessier-Lavigne, tendered his resignation, and the law school’s controversial diversity dean Tirien Steinbach also resigned.
The resignations capped a tumultuous year for the California university that is widely recognized as among the nation’s most prestigious institutions. From accusations of fraudulent research leveled against Tessier-Lavigne, to a high-profile free speech controversy where Steinbach shouted down federal judge Kyle Duncan, the 2022-2023 school year brought controversy after controversy to the Stanford campus.
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But with two administrators headed for the exits, stakeholders and students are holding out hope that Stanford can start a new chapter.
Luke Schumacher, a student at Stanford Law School, told the Washington Examiner that he was hopeful that Steinbach’s resignation would allow the school to move on from the March 2023 incident, where Steinbach and a number of student protesters disrupted Judge Duncan’s planned remarks.
“While I can’t pretend to know under what agreement Dean Steinbach is leaving the DEI dean role, I’m hopeful that Stanford Law School can move on from this embarrassing episode and recommit itself to its mission of fostering civil dialogue about important legal issues,” Schumacher said.
As the law school now looks to find Steinbach’s replacement as dean of diversity, equity, and inclusion, Schumacher said that he hopes a new dean does not attempt to subordinate free speech to the principles of DEI, something he said Steinbach was guilty of.
“I hope the next DEI dean, and I’m almost certain there will be another hired, does not share the all-too-common view that the university’s commitment to free speech must somehow be subordinated to the important goals of intellectual diversity and inclusion,” he said.
Cherise Trump, the executive director of the campus free speech advocacy organization Speech First, thinks the vacancy at the top of Stanford’s administration provides the school with a unique opportunity to reassert the principles of free speech.
“Leadership change will hopefully bring a breath of fresh air to a campus that has been riddled with controversial free speech issues,” Trump, who is not related to the former president, told the Washington Examiner. “From their anonymous bias reporting system that tracks, investigates, and disciplines students for their constitutionally protected speech, to their law school leading the charge on shutting down dissenting ideas, Stanford has shown little attempt in creating an environment that fosters free expression and discourse.”
Speech First had spearheaded an effort to pressure Stanford to fire Dean Steinbach following the infamous March incident. But despite her ultimate ouster, Trump noted that the now-former DEI dean was indicative of a larger cultural problem at the Stanford Law School.
“Tirien Steinbach was just one of the many faculty who force their ideological bents onto students,” Trump said. “Faculty and students are too afraid to speak out against the illiberal initiatives on campus and face constant attempts of coercion.”
Trump said that she has spoken to many students who have told her that they have faced substantial consequences if they express contrarian ideas, including losing leadership positions in Greek life. She also noted that a Stanford student, Josiah Joner, was summoned to testify before a committee of the House of Representatives due to the censorious nature of the campus culture.
Joner told the Washington Examiner earlier this year after testifying before Congress that Stanford is in need of people who are willing to stand up for their beliefs.
“In this culture right now, you got to be willing to stand up for your beliefs and share it, even if it’s not a popular opinion,” Joner said at the time. “We need people who are willing to stand up and speak freely and engage in debate. But then we’re going to also have to have students who are willing to respect other ideas and debate freely.”
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Trump, the free speech activist, said she sees a long road ahead to rebuild trust for the private California university.
“It will be a long recovery for Stanford if they intend to restore free speech, open inquiry, and debate on campus,” Trump said. “But I do not have faith they plan to do this. The leadership change-up is interesting, and in some ways very encouraging. However, I shudder to think they are just planning to install a president who makes free speech even less of a priority.”
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