Farewell message from Marc Tessier-Lavigne

Dear Stanford Community,

As I step down from the presidency of this great university, I wanted to send a note of thanks to each and every one of you for helping make this the most fulfilling and rewarding experience of my professional career.

It has been a great honor and privilege to lead Stanford these past seven years. Stanford is an extraordinary institution made up of remarkable people, and it is a force for maintaining the world’s upward arc of progress. I continue to be awed by the world-leading quality and talent of our faculty and scholars, our students and trainees, and our staff members; and by the devotion and support of our alumni and friends. I am also inspired by our culture, uniquely Stanford, that is built upon optimism, collegiality and an unrelenting drive to achieve excellence, where excellence is not an end in itself but rather a means to magnify the university’s benefit to society.

It has been especially gratifying to work with all of you to fulfill the mission of being a purposeful university. In particular, I take special pride in all that we have accomplished together to create and implement our Long-Range Vision for Stanford.

In closing, I again want to express my sincere gratitude to the entire Stanford community, and especially thank the Board of Trustees for giving me the extraordinary opportunity to lead Stanford. I remain eternally grateful and devoted to our university, and I look forward to continuing my relationship with all of you in the months and years to come.

Marc Tessier-Lavigne