Faculty lectures headline Parents’ Weekend, Feb. 21 and 22
Lectures with some of Stanford’s most prominent faculty members are among the dozens of activities planned for the more than 3,000 family members Stanford expects to welcome during Parents Weekend, Feb. 21 and 22.
Online registration for the annual event closes Jan. 31.
Stanford faculty members and administrators will offer Back to School Classes for Parents in three sessions on Saturday. The classes are designed to give parents a glimpse into the educational experiences of their sons and daughters, according to Elaine Enos, executive director in Stanford’s Office of Special Events and Protocol.
Faculty classes this year will focus on subjects ranging from the art of computing and music to the teaching of ethics to the building of smart machines. Also offering classes will be Stanford administrators specializing in such student-related issues as emotional wellbeing, Internet privacy and study abroad.
Parents will also have the opportunity to take an abundance of tours on both Friday and Saturday. The tours will offer insights into areas ranging from Stanford dining services to the libraries to the newly opened Bing Concert Hall. The “Stanford and the 1906 Earthquake Tour,” for instance, explains how the powerful temblor altered the course of Bay Area history and affected the Stanford campus. A tour of Stanford Stadium, home to the Pac-12 champion Stanford Cardinal football team, will show parents views from the Skydeck. In addition, parents can opt to join students from Stanford Outdoor Education for a walk of the Dish in the nearby Stanford foothills. This 3.5-mile paved loop trail takes about an hour and a half to complete.
Other featured events include a welcome from Provost John Etchemendy on Friday morning and the always-popular question-and-answer session with President John Hennessy on Friday afternoon.
On Friday morning, parents also can meet with university representatives to discuss particular challenges and experiences of each student class: freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors. Among administrators meeting with parents will be Rob Urstein, associate vice provost for undergraduate education and dean of freshmen; Greg Boardman, vice provost for student affairs; Sally Dickson, associate vice provost for student affairs and dean of educational resources; and Chris Griffith, associate vice provost and dean of student life.
At a Saturday morning Resource Fair, parents can learn first-hand about services and programs at Stanford from representatives of campus departments, including Residential Education, the Student Services Center, Undergraduate Advising and Research, Vaden Health Center and Public Safety.
The weekend’s events will wrap up on Saturday afternoon with the Entertainment Extravaganza!, which is sponsored by the Parents’ Club. This year, the event features performances by five Stanford student groups: Ballet Folklorico de Stanford, Cardinal Ballet, Dil Se, Mendicants and Swingtime. Tickets can be purchased online when parents register for Parents’ Weekend.
For more, visit the website.
