Stanford Family Weekend offers glimpse into student life - lunch included

The annual Family Weekend, which will take place Feb. 23-24, opens with a welcome address Friday morning from Provost Persis Drell and closes late Saturday afternoon with performances by six unique student ensembles during Entertainment Extravaganza!

An estimated 4,000 visitors are expected to arrive Friday for Family Weekend, a two-day event that provides families a glimpse into undergraduate life at Stanford through varied activities and informative sessions, including faculty lectures, campus tours, and community open houses and receptions.

Freshman (now sophomore) Javier Covarrubias poses for a photo at last year’s Family Weekend with his parents Maria and Javier Covarrubias who visited from Chicago. (Image credit: L.A. Cicero)

The annual event, which will take place Feb. 23-24, opens Friday morning with a welcome address from Provost Persis Drell, and closes late Saturday afternoon with performances by six unique student ensembles during “Entertainment Extravaganza!

In between, the visitors will roam far and wide during guided tours of campus, including one focused on the impact of the 1906 earthquake on Stanford, and another tour showcasing the modern and contemporary American art on display at the university’s newest museum, the Anderson Collection at Stanford University.

During “Conversations with Families,” the visitors will hear senior administrators moderating panel discussions specific to each class year – first-year, sophomores, juniors and seniors. The event also features a conversation with President Marc Tessier-Lavigne.

Family members are invited to join their students for Friday lunch and Saturday brunch in dining halls located in several campus neighborhoods. They will also have the opportunity to meet resident fellows and resident assistants – faculty, staff and students who live in the dorms and interact with students every day – during receptions in residence halls.

The visitors are also invited to attend “Back to School Classes,” which will be held throughout the day on Saturday. There are 13 classes scheduled, including:

  • Careers for Humanities and Arts Majors, a panel discussion moderated by Richard Saller, dean of the School of Humanities & Sciences.
  • Transforming Lives: Training Leaders to Drive Prosperity in Emerging Economies, taught by Jesper B. Sørensen, professor of organizational behavior.
  • Pathways to Meaningful Work: Four Students, Four Perspectives, a panel discussion moderated by Farouk Dey, dean of career education.
  • Inside Rodin’s Hands: Teaching Surgery Through Art & Anatomy, taught by James Chang, chief, division of plastic and reconstructive surgery, Stanford Medicine.
  • Corals in the Future: How to Resist Bleaching, Recolonize a Hydrogen Bomb Crater, and Live Forever, taught by Stephen Palumbi, professor of biology.
  • Beyond Blame and Shame: Helping Students Engage Difference with Empathy, taught by Dereca L. Blackmon, director, Diversity and First Gen Office.

Community centers located around the central campus will host receptions and open houses, including The Markaz: Resource Center, which is dedicated to uplifting student voices from the diverse Muslim community, and the Haas Center for Public Service, the hub of Cardinal Service, a university-wide initiative to elevate and expand service.

Representatives from nearly three dozen campus departments will convene Saturday morning for a Resource Fair at the Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center, ready to share information about the services and programs designed to enhance the student experience at Stanford.