History & Milestones
Stanford's Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education was founded in January 2007, and is dedicated to graduate education and the graduate student experience.
The faculty Commission on Graduate Education recommended the creation of a Vice Provost position focused on graduate education in its report released in November 2005, recognizing the critical role of the graduate students in Stanford's culture and innovation. Since its inception, the office has worked to realize the committee’s initial vision– to support graduate students through a portfolio of fellowships, to facilitate university-wide communication and collaboration on promising practices in graduate education, to curate and interpret graduate policy, to support student well being and diversity, and to create learning opportunities around leadership and cross-disciplinary research – and more.
Patricia J. Gumport, Professor of Education, was appointed Stanford's first vice provost for graduate education. Postdoctoral Affairs was added to the VP's title in May 2018 in recognition of the role's university-wide leadership on behalf of postdoctoral scholars. Stacey F. Bent, Jagdeep and Roshni Singh Professor in the School of Engineering, served as vice provost for graduate education and postdoctoral affairs from 2019 to 2025.
Kenneth Goodson, Davies Family Provostial Professor, started as Stanford’s third vice provost for graduate education and postdoctoral affairs on April 1, 2025.