Gerhard Casper

Gerhard Casper (1937 - ) was the 9th president of Stanford University from 1992-2000. He is currently the " Peter and Helen Bing Professor in Undergraduate Education" at Stanford. He is also a Professor of Law, a Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford (FSI), and a Professor of Political Science (by courtesy).

Background and early career

Casper was born in Hamburg, Germany and received degrees from the University of Hamburg in 1961, from Yale University in 1962, and from the University of Freiburg in 1964. He served as an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley from 1964 to 1966. He joined the faculty of the University of Chicago in 1966 where he was an Associate Professor of Law (and Political Science) until 1969. From 1969-1976, he was a full Professor of Law and Political Science, 1976-1980 Max Pam Professor of American and Foreign Law, from 1980-1987 William B. Graham Professor of Law, and from 1987-1992, the Graham Distinguished Service Professor of Law. He also served as Dean of the Law School from 1979 to 1987 and as Provost from 1989 to 1992.

tanford University

In 1992, Casper became the president of Stanford University. His concerns as president ranged from resolution of the indirect cost dispute with the federal government to restoration of the campus after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake to innovation in curriculum, programs, and physical plant.

His Commission on Undergraduate Education was the first comprehensive examination of undergraduate education at Stanford in 25 years. The Commission and other faculty initiatives led to a new approach to the first two years of college. Stanford Introductory Studies (SIS), which includes the Freshman Seminars Program, Sophomore College, and Sophomore Seminars and Dialogues, provides small-group learning experiences that encourage mentoring relationships between students and faculty. In addition, the new residential Freshman/Sophomore College provides a setting to bring faculty and students closer together. Restraints on tuition increases and improvements in financial aid policies under Casper's leadership also reemphasized Stanford's commitment to founder Jane Stanford's promise to keep "open an avenue whereby the deserving and exceptional may rise through their own efforts."

Recruitment and retention of exceptional faculty members who excel in both research and teaching was emphasized during Casper's presidency through Research Grants for Junior Faculty in the three schools that offer undergraduate degrees: Earth Sciences, Engineering, and Humanities and Sciences. In addition, the university's bureaucracy was streamlined through internal reorganizations and a reduction in the number of vice presidential positions. The integration of the Stanford Alumni Association into the university in 1998 enhanced outreach to Stanford's alumni worldwide. Giving at Stanford, especially by alumni, increased sharply under Casper's leadership, with particular emphasis on fortifying Stanford's endowment and increasing participation through the creation of the Stanford Fund for Undergraduate Education.

During Casper's presidency, the physical infrastructure of the campus improved substantially. Restoration of buildings damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake was completed, and the architectural value of new buildings was enhanced with competitions attracting some of the world's most gifted architects. With support from the Stephen D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation, one of the oldest buildings on campus, Encina Hall, was restored and seismically reinforced. The 1893 Leland Stanford Junior Museum became part of an expanded complex, the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts. The reconstructed Bing Wing of Cecil H. Green Library opened in 1999, a decade after the severe damage inflicted by the Loma Prieta earthquake closed its doors. A new Science and Engineering Quad was constructed thanks to a $77.5 million gift from David Packard and Bill Hewlett. New graduate residences were added to the campus, and the university constructed a new Center for Clinical Sciences Research and the Arrillaga Alumni Center.

During his tenure as president, he also became involved in a movement that criticized college rankings surveys. In 1996, ASSU Vice-President Nicholas Thompson founded FUNC or "Forget "U.S. News" Coalition" [cite web | first =Nick | last =Thompson | title =Down With Rankings!| publisher = Summit: Stanford's Newsmagazine of Progressive Politics | date = 25 October 1996 | url= http://www.stanford.edu/group/summit/summit1/stanford.html#rankings] as a show of support for Reed College's decision not to participate in the "U.S. News and World Report" survey. [cite web | first = | last = | title =Stanford Students Attack"U.S. News" College Rankings| publisher = Chronicle of Higher Education | date = 25 October 1996 | url= http://chronicle.com/che-data/articles.dir/art-43.dir/issue-09.dir/09a04302.htm] On 18 April 1997, Casper issued a letter critical of "U.S. News and World Report" college rankings titled "An alternative to the U.S. News and World Report College Survey" [cite web | first = Gerhard | last = Casper| title =An alternative to the U.S. News and World Report College Survey| publisher = Stanford University | date = 18 April 1997 | url= http://www.stanford.edu/dept/pres-provost/president/speeches/970418rankings.html] Casper's letter circulated among college presidents and led to a decision by Stanford that it will "submit objective data to U.S. News, but will withhold subjective reputational votes." [cite web | first = Elaine | last = Ray| title =Can a College Education Really Be Reduced to Numbers? | publisher = Stanford University | date = May/June 1997 | url= http://www-leland.stanford.edu/dept/news/stanfordtoday/ed/9705/9705fea1.html]

As a scholar, Casper has written and taught primarily in the fields of constitutional law, constitutional history, comparative law, and jurisprudence.

In 2000, Casper stepped down as president to serve as the " Peter and Helen Bing Professor in Undergraduate Education". He holds honorary doctorates from Yale University and Uppsala University. He has been elected to membership in the American Law Institute, the International Academy of Comparative Law, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Order Pour le mérite for the Sciences and Arts, and the American Philosophical Society. He currently serves as a successor trustee of Yale University, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Central European University in Budapest, Hungary, and a member of the Board of Trustees of the American Academy in Berlin.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.stanford.edu/~gcasper Gerhard Casper's Official Web Site]
* [http://www.stanford.edu/~gcasper/newbio.html Biography from Casper's Official Web Site]
* [http://fsi.stanford.edu/people/gerhardcasper/ Website at FSI Stanford]
* [http://www.law.stanford.edu/faculty/casper/ Abbreviated Résumé from Stanford Law School]