Get Involved with Stanford
New Student Orientation and Parents' Weekend are among the events with specific programming for Stanford parents. The Stanford Parents' Program and the Parents' Club are among the organizations that give parents a chance to become more involved with the university.
New Student Orientation
New Student Orientation (NSO) begins Sept. 15 this year and includes events for parents, such as seminars, chances to meet university administrators and a dinner hosted by the provost. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes. Events involve much walking. Plus, although many residences have elevators, some do not. You may have to carry boxes of belongings up several flights of stairs. Temperatures are warm during the days--70s to 80s--and cool in the evenings--40s to 50s.
Information on orientation events, travel arrangements, local transportation and shipping is included in Approaching Stanford, which your son or daughter receives in the spring. Parent dinner tickets can be ordered on the freshman page.
A schedule of NSO events is provided to parents and students when they arrive. Advance reservations for hotel rooms are strongly advised. If you have questions about NSO, call (650) 723-7674.
Parents' Weekend
Clayborne Carson, professor of history and director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Papers Project, teaches a "Back to School" class at Parents' Weekend.
About half of all parents attend at least one Parents' Weekend while their children are at Stanford. This year, the popular event will be held on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 26 and 27, 2010. Parents can attend lectures with faculty members, ask questions of President John Hennessy and Provost John Etchemendy, participate in discussions and learn more about student life.
Parents should wear comfortable clothing and shoes. Parents' Weekend tends to involve a great deal of walking. Palo Alto in the winter is cool-40s and 50s-and wet. Rain gear is advised. The fall issue of the Stanford Parents' Newsletter provides details or visit http://parentsweekend.stanford.edu. Go to Top.
Stanford Parents' Program
The Stanford Parents' Program engages parents through programming and volunteer opportunities. The Parents' Program supports the Parents' Advisory Board, which partners with the Office of the Vice President for Undergraduate Education and the Office of Development. The board includes families representing each class and region in the United States and abroad.
The Parents' Program hosts receptions that bring university speakers to parents in their regions, organizes volunteers to help with events and encourages parents to become part of the Stanford community. Parents also help raise funds for The Stanford Fund for Undergraduate Education, which enhances the quality of undergraduate education. Call (650) 723-9992.
Parents' Club of Stanford University
Provost John Etchemendy is among the Stanford administrators who meet with parents during Parents' Weekend.
The Parents' Club of Stanford University was founded as the Mothers' Club in 1924 to support Stanford and its students and to involve parents in the life of the university. It has helped make Stanford a home-away-from- home and served as a resource for parents for more than eight decades. Parents of current and former Stanford students are invited to participate. Since its inception, the club has contributed more than $1 million toward undergraduate scholarships.
The Parents' Club provides a birthday cake, flower, balloon and plant delivery service to enable parents to remember their students on important occasions in a personal way. Each order is delivered directly to the residence by a Parents' Club member. The club also provides a sales table at events, featuring Stanford gifts. Proceeds from the club sales benefit its Scholarship Endowment Fund.
Parents' Club members serve as volunteer ambassadors at New Student Orientation, Parents' Weekend and Admit Weekend, . At New Student Orientation, the club cohosts the dinner with the provost. At Parents' Weekend, the club hosts the "Entertainment Extravaganza" and cohosts the Parents' Reception. The club also sponsors a monthly Program Series of Distinguished Stanford Faculty Speakers and Campus Tours.
Stanford Alumni Association
The Stanford Alumni Association provides services and programs that foster classmate and student-alumni connections. The association offers valuable programs for all students, such as student-alumni networking events and leadership opportunities, as well as services for all alumni including reunions, regional events, the alumni directory, Stanford magazine, online services and a free stanfordalumni.org e-mail account.
Publications, Web Sites and Other Resources
The Arrillaga Alumni Center is headquarters for Parents' Weekend registration.
The Stanford parents' gateway contains online publications, information about events and useful links.
The Stanford Parents' Newsletter is electronically mailed during the academic year to parents of undergraduate students.
Parents with questions can call the Parents' Help Line at (650) 725-0649 or send e-mail to mykidis@stanford.edu.
iTunes@stanford allows you to listen for free to Stanford faculty lectures, interviews, music and sports.
Stanford, the university's magazine, is sent to parents while their son or daughter is an undergraduate.
Facebook users can become fans of Stanford to receive regular feeds of the most interesting news across campus. Read more.
Stanford Report, the university's news source, is available online at http://www.stanford.edu/news/report.
The Stanford Directory is the university's official telephone book. Parents may purchase the directory, as well as other Stanford-related publications, at the Stanford Bookstore (call 800-533-2670) or at the Student Store at Tresidder Union.
Updating Your Address
To update your address and/or telephone information with the university or to request that another parent receive mailings, please contact University Records, which maintains the parents' database, at alumni.information@stanford.edu or (650) 725-4336. Your son or daughter also should update parent information on the student database, Axess.
When You Visit Stanford
Before you visit, check out the visitor information site. It provides useful information about Stanford and the San Francisco Bay Area, including links to local lodging.
Make travel arrangements early, especially for special events, because there are a limited number of hotels near the university. One option is the Stanford Guest House, located nearby on the grounds of the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.
Stanford is located roughly equidistant from San Jose and San Francisco airports. The Oakland Airport is also about 45 minutes from campus. Shuttle service is available from all three airports.
From Highway 101 by car:
Take the Embarcadero Road exit west toward Stanford. At El Camino Real, Embarcadero turns into Galvez Street as it enters the university. Stay in the left lane and continue until Campus Drive, which circles the campus and leads directly to most destinations.
From Highway 280 by car:
Exit 280 at Sand Hill Road, heading east. Make a right on Santa Cruz Avenue and a left at Junipero Serra Boulevard. Turn left at the next stoplight, which is Campus Drive. Campus Drive circles the campus and leads directly to most destinations.
Parking on Campus
New Student Orientation and Parents' Weekend provide parking for parents. At other times, permits are required for campus lots when you visit. Park in visitor spaces for $1.50 per hour weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. or buy a daily permit at Parking & Transportation on Bonair Siding. Weekend and holiday parking is free.
Visitor parking has either a meter or a nearby machine for pay parking. Coins are necessary for meters; pay machines accept coins, bills and credit cards. Visit visitor information for more.
Frank Lloyd Wright's Hanna House, located on campus, is open to the public for tours. Reservations are required. Call (650) 725-8352.
Visitors also can rent bikes on campus from the Campus Bike Shop. Visit Parking & Transportation for more bike information.
Places You Can Visit on Campus
- More than 70 sculptures are included in the collection of outdoor art throughout campus. Download the sculpture map.
- The Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts is open free of charge Wednesday through Sunday.
- Stanford Memorial Church docent tours are offered every Friday at 2 p.m.
- Stanford Shopping Center, adjacent to campus, features more than 140 stores, restaurants and services.
- Hoover Tower, a 285-foot landmark, offers views of campus, the foothills and the Santa Clara Valley. The observation deck is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding finals week, the first week of classes and academic breaks.
- The Herbert Hoover Memorial Exhibit Pavilion, located next to Hoover Tower, has changing exhibits. The pavilion is open free to the public Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., except during exhibit installation and holidays.
- Docent-led tours of Frank Lloyd Wright's Hanna House can be scheduled by calling (650) 725-8352. Reservations are required. Admission is $10 per person. Pets and children younger than 12 are not permitted.
- The 150-foot-diameter radio telescope, known as the Dish, located in a habitat conservation area in the Stanford foothills, is a popular destination for hikers.
- Rosenberg Athletic Hall of Fame Room in the Arrillaga Family Sports Center honors Stanford's athletes. Admission is free.
Last updated on May 27, 2009.
