Stanford University is governed by a board of trustees, in conjuction with the university president and provosts and the deans
of the various schools.
Presidents
- David Starr Jordan (1891-1913)
- John Casper Branner (1913-1915)
- Ray Lyman Wilbur (1916-1943)
- Donald Bertrand Tresidder (1943-1948)
- J. E. Wallace Sterling (1949-1968)
- Kenneth Sanborn Pitzer (1968-1970)
- Richard Wall Lyman (1970-1980)
- Donald Kennedy (1980-1992)
- Gerhard Casper (1992-2000)
- John L. Hennessy (2000-present)
Provosts
The position of Provost was created in 1952 during the Presidency of J. E. Wallace Sterling. Many people consider the Stanford Provost to
be the "heir apparent" to the President because of the five men who
succeeded Sterling as President, three were Provost of Stanford (Lyman, Kennedy, and Hennessy), one was Provost of the University of Chicago (Casper), while the other was President of
Rice University (Pitzer). The Provost is the University's chief
academic and budget officer. The Provost and the President together conduct Stanford's relationships with the neighboring
community and other schools and organizations.
- Douglas M. Whitaker
(1952-1955)
- Frederick E. Terman (1955-1965)
- Richard Wall Lyman (1967-1970)
- William F. Miller
(1971-1978)
- Gerald J. Lieberman
(1979-1979)
- Donald Kennedy (1979-1980)
- Albert M. Hastorf
(1980-1984)
- James N. Rosse (1984-1992)
- Gerald J. Lieberman
(1992-1993)
- Condoleezza Rice (1993-1999)
- John L. Hennessy (1999-2000)
- John W. Etchemendy
(2000-present)