Dear Graduate and Professional Students,

I want to join your School and program and President Tessier-Lavigne in warmly welcoming you to the new academic year! As always, I love the energy and excitement of the start of the year — even if we have to experience much of it virtually or socially distanced for now.

I particularly want to welcome our 2,300 new students who are pursuing professional degrees (32%), doctoral degrees (32%), and master's degrees (36%) in graduate programs across all seven schools. This year 656 (29%) are international students, representing 80 countries, contributing to the vibrant diversity of our community. As the President and I, as well as alumni and current students, shared in last week's President's Welcome for New Graduate Students, we're so glad you've chosen Stanford for your graduate studies and are excited to share this important stage of your life.

Reflecting on this Time

I want to acknowledge that this unusual time poses unprecedented challenges, including the pandemic, a reckoning with systemic anti-Black racism and political polarization in this country, and more locally, dangerous wildfires throughout the Western US. As noted by your fellow students in the President's Welcome for New Graduate Students, this unique moment in time could not possibly be what you expected when you decided to pursue graduate studies. We are each needing to make personal sacrifices for the good of the community; to be adaptable, flexible, and resilient; and perhaps most importantly, to be kind and generous with each other in difficult times.

The challenges faced by the globe and this nation will not be met overnight. Even more urgently than at any time in recent history, our society requires experts and future leaders, such as yourselves, who can envision new pathways forward in the context of uncertainty and change. And your decision to pursue your graduate studies at Stanford makes me optimistic about our future —and yes, excited! — about the year ahead, my second as Vice Provost. I look forward to supporting you and celebrating with you during your time at Stanford.

Next Wednesday, 3- 4 PM, President Tessier-Lavigne and Provost Drell will host a Campus Conversation about Stanford's plans for the year ahead, including support for students. Please join if you can. In addition, the new Grad Updates website aggregates current university and public health polices and information particularly relevant to this year.

Advancing Racial Justice, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

In VPGE, we are prioritizing our work to advance racial justice and increase diversity, inclusion, and equity in the graduate population and higher education more broadly. Within VPGE, we are acting on our statement of support for our Black students, postdoctoral scholars, staff, and faculty, starting with our own learning over the summer. Our first Diversity Works discussion will feature Stanford alumna, Allison Anoll, assistant professor of political science at Vanderbilt University, discussing Racial Group Norms and Political Participation in the United States, a timely topic a few weeks before the US national election. The Diversity Works website aggregates profiles, events, articles and resources from all over campus. Future opportunities to engage with VPGE, including on the Presidential IDEAL (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access in a Learning Environment) Initiative, will be announced soon.

Also related, congratulations to the recipients of our 33 Diversity and Inclusion Innovation Funding (DIF) awards! These exciting student-led projects help advance diversity across the academic community. Read through the project descriptions and contact the project leaders if you're interested in getting involved. Similarly, the new Student Projects for Intellectual Community Enhancement (SPICE) projects offer ample opportunities to get involved with students across campus. We thank the student leaders whose energy and commitment make these projects succeed.

Supporting Your Wellbeing & Professional Development

The VPGE team collaborates with your Schools and programs and many campus partners to enrich your time at Stanford. Please take a moment to view these short welcome videos from my colleagues in VPGE, the Graduate Life Office, and others who are eager to engage with you. Here are several well-curated sites for events, resources, one-on-one consultations, and other opportunities to connect with the Stanford community:

• Virtual Learning Opportunities: a curated list of Stanford's extensive virtual resources, including new ones created in response to the global pandemic, offered synchronously and asynchronously.
• Virtual Well-Being: virtual resources to support your well-being curated by Well-Being at Stanford and Vaden Health Services.
• Graduate Professional Development Framework: this interactive tool connects your interests and goals with Stanford's abundant resources and learning opportunities.
• 2020-21 Courses: a curated list of courses with open enrollment policies to enhance your required courses and professional development.
• Lathrop Learning Hub: tools and technologies to support your virtual learning and research.

Join in, share ideas, and please reach out to any of the staff in the VPGE office or your department, School, or our many campus partners when you need help getting through the rough spots that are inevitable in grad school. Each of you brings ideas and energy to our community — please don't hesitate to reach out to each other and to our dedicated staff and faculty when you need to renew your energy or raise your spirits.

Finally, I am eager to learn more about you and your goals and aspirations for your time at Stanford and what might improve your experience. I look forward to collaborating with this year's Graduate Student Council co-chairs, Kari Barclay and Will Avery Paisley, and other GSC members and student leaders, and always welcome your ideas and questions via email or this survey link.

With all best wishes for the year ahead,

Stacey

Stacey F. Bent
Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs
Jagdeep and Roshni Singh Professor in the School of Engineering
Professor of Chemical Engineering
Professor, by courtesy, of Materials Science & Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Chemistry