Issue of
December 1, 1999

Law School, GSB receive $3 million for new endowed chair

The Law School and the Graduate School of Business have received $3 million to create a new endowed chair. The Thomas M. Siebel Professorship in Business Leadership will be shared by the two schools. The Siebel professorship will be held by a distinguished faculty member with interests in applications software, electronic commerce, information technologies or intellectual property, and the business and legal issues raised by technological change.

Business School Dean Robert Joss said the endowment "will enable Stanford to significantly extend its teaching and research into high technology. The support Siebel Systems is providing us will allow for an increased focus in the curriculum and in faculty research on topics such as e-commerce and information technology. With today's companies growing ever more dependent on information technology, such new material is of vital importance to every Stanford Business School student."

Law School Dean Kathleen M. Sullivan said, "The Siebel Systems endowment allows Stanford to advance in researching and teaching an essential area: the intersection of business law and technology. The creation of this new academic position represents a critical step forward for the Stanford academic community as it prepares students for success in the new electronic economy."

"Stanford University's graduate schools are among the world's leading providers of business-oriented education," said Thomas M. Siebel, chairman and chief executive officer of Siebel Systems, a leading supplier of web-based front office software systems. "Stanford's business and law schools have developed some of the finest business leaders and legal scholars, both here in Silicon Valley and worldwide, and Siebel Systems wants to recognize and support that excellence in a meaningful way. Siebel Systems' endowment of this new business and law leadership-focused professorship will help Stanford prepare students for today's technology-enabled business world." SR