On Dec. 4, at the Stanford Faculty Club near the center of campus, faculty, staff, and students journeyed through a brief history of the reciprocal relationship between Stanford University and its various patrons and partners. This implicit connection, which can be described as an “academic social contract,” is essential for building a sustainable future for the region, the nation, and the world, according to Graduate School of Education professors Emily Levine and Mitchell Stevens.

They posit that Stanford’s mutually beneficial relationship with society can be divided into two main academic social contracts. The first, between the Stanford family and the people of California, established the university as a civic and academic institution to help settle and develop the American West.

“When the Stanfords founded Stanford University in 1885, the West was co-evolving with the newly unified nation after the Civil War – and it wasn’t yet clear how the West would be settled, but there was an emerging pattern that institutions of higher education would be a part of that settlement,” said Levine, a historian and associate professor of education. “In fact, that’s one of the reasons why there’s just so many colleges across our great country.”

Later, Stanford’s relationship with society changed during World War II and the Cold War, when the university partnered with the federal government in scientific research and technological development for military and defense purposes.

“Stanford, like universities across the country, sort of saw the opportunity to be civic servants during World War II, and they really step up to the plate,” Mitchell said. “So capably did universities serve the nation during the war that Congress turned to them again at war’s end, to help absorb returning veterans.”

Levine and Stevens outlined the evolution of the university as part of the Dean’s Lecture series, which brings together scholars and thought leaders to discuss the frontiers of research, education, practice, and impact related to an area in sustainability.

Stanford’s next chapter

Now, Levine and Stevens said, Stanford is at a critical juncture, needing a “third contract” that addresses new global challenges, like climate change and sustainability.

Levine highlighted two paradoxes inherent in academia, where institutions must balance their roles as independent knowledge producers while also engaging with the world outside their walls.

“The first of these [paradoxes] is that universities are both sanctuaries of learning remote from the world and also they are deeply intertwined with, even complicit, in the social and political affairs that happen outside their walls,” Levine said. “And the second is that universities are both a part of and apart from their nation-states.”

The speakers referenced a course they co-teach, HISTORY 58E: Stanford and Its Worlds: 1885-present, noting that when incoming students have little knowledge of the institution’s history, it shows a need for education that intertwines past struggles with current institutional identities.

“Institutional self-awareness is something that we want to convey to students – that they’re not just passing through here in four years, but this is their inheritance, and they now get to decide what to make of it,” Levine said.

A new world

In a Q&A with the audience, the speakers addressed the implications of a new kind of civic engagement, suggesting that cooperation, global perspectives, and a powerful sense of community can redefine the purpose of universities.

“I think that the decline of the trust in higher education institutions is directly and intimately related to the demise of contract two and the fact that we haven’t yet negotiated contract three,” Levine said.

Dean Arun Majumdar asked the scholars to comment on the idea of the academic social contract moving forward with climate change and sustainability as a “lever.” If colleges and universities are going to help advance climate solutions, Stevens said, “they need to be recognized as vehicles of civic empowerment for everybody.”

Levine compared the challenge and opportunity for institutions focused on advancing sustainability to the imperative in public health – to not only produce excellent research but also expand scientific literacy. “How good are the cutting-edge innovations in climate science and sustainability if nobody believes you?” Levine asked, calling for a narrowing of the gap between “advancing the frontiers of knowledge” and the “dissemination of that knowledge.”

The dialogue continued, with audience members raising questions about the role of universities in addressing societal challenges.

“Universities are actors in history,” Stevens said. “It’s not as if we can sit here and insulate ourselves from these existential challenges. We helped to create those existential challenges and we have no choice, in my view, but to somehow be active in navigating the next chapter.”

As the discussion drew to a close, Majumdar expressed his gratitude for the conversation. “Thank you for this enlightening dialogue,” he said. “You’ve reminded us of Stanford’s DNA and how that should guide us moving forward.”