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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The president of Stanford University is stepping down after 15 years, with one university official calling his tenure one of the greatest in the annals of American higher education.
John L. Hennessy, 62, is a computer scientist who came to Stanford nearly 40 years ago as an assistant professor.
A search for a successor will begin in the fall. He will leave the post in the summer of 2016.
Hennessy was not specific about his future plans. University spokeswoman Lisa Lapin said Friday that his return to research and teaching is fully expected to be at Stanford.
Backers credited Hennessy for building support by a completing a $6.2 billion fundraising campaign, the most successful in the history of American higher education. Under Hennessy's leadership, the university's endowment grew to $21 billion last year.
Phil Pizzo, a professor of microbiology and immunology, called Hennessy a champion for the importance of higher education for students from all backgrounds. It was Hennessy who made it possible for families with incomes up to $125,000 a year to not pay any tuition for undergraduate students.
Board of Trustees chairman Steven A. Denning had his own words of support. "It has been a remarkable run, one of the greatest not only in Stanford's history but also in the annals of American higher education," Denning said.
Hennessy founded technology companies and as president advocated for stronger relationships between universities and the tech industry to bring academic discoveries to the public.
Hank Greely, director of Stanford's Center for Law and the Biosciences, has disagreed with the president on accepting research funding from tobacco companies. However, he said that doesn't change his opinion that Hennessy had an overall positive effect on the university.
"Being in the middle of, geographically and historically, the booming Silicon Valley and Bay Area has much to do with the university's success, but certainly good leadership has helped," he said.
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Information from: San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News, http://www.mercurynews.com
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