Wallace Sterling
Encyclopedia
John Ewart Wallace Sterling (August 6, 1906 – July 1, 1985) was an American educator who served as President of Stanford University
between 1949 and 1968.
Sterling was born in Linwood, Ontario
, the son of Annie (née Wallace) and William Sterling, a Methodist clergyman. He pursued his undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto
and received a Master of Arts degree from the University of Alberta
.
He began his doctoral studies in History at Stanford University
in 1932, serving on the research staff of the Hoover Institution
. Upon receiving a Ph.D. in 1938, he joined the faculty of the California Institute of Technology
. In 1948, he left Caltech to head the Huntington Library and Art Gallery and shortly afterward was offered the Stanford Presidency.
During his 20 year term as president he oversaw the growth of Stanford from a financially troubled regional university to a financially sound, internationally recognized academic powerhouse, "the Harvard of the West". Achievements during his tenure included:
Sterling was married to Anna Maria Shaver.
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
between 1949 and 1968.
Sterling was born in Linwood, Ontario
Brooke-Alvinston, Ontario
Brooke-Alvinston is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located within Lambton County. It was formed on January 1, 2001, when the Township of Brooke was amalgamated with the Village of Alvinston ....
, the son of Annie (née Wallace) and William Sterling, a Methodist clergyman. He pursued his undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
and received a Master of Arts degree from the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
.
He began his doctoral studies in History at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in 1932, serving on the research staff of the Hoover Institution
Hoover Institution
The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace is a public policy think tank and library founded in 1919 by then future U.S. president, Herbert Hoover, an early alumnus of Stanford....
. Upon receiving a Ph.D. in 1938, he joined the faculty of the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
. In 1948, he left Caltech to head the Huntington Library and Art Gallery and shortly afterward was offered the Stanford Presidency.
During his 20 year term as president he oversaw the growth of Stanford from a financially troubled regional university to a financially sound, internationally recognized academic powerhouse, "the Harvard of the West". Achievements during his tenure included:
- Moving the Stanford Medical School from a small, inadequate campus in San Francisco to a new facility on the Stanford campus which was fully integrated into the university to an unusual degree for medical schools.
- Establishing the Stanford Industrial Park (now the Stanford Research ParkStanford Research ParkStanford Research Park is a technology park located in Palo Alto, California on land owned by Stanford University. Built in 1951, as Stanford Industrial Park, it claims to be the world's first technology-focused office park...
) and the Stanford Shopping Center on leased University land, thus stabilizing the university's finances. The Stanford Industrial Park, together with the university's aggressive pursuit of government research grants, helped to spur the development of Silicon ValleySilicon ValleySilicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
.
- Increasing the number of students receiving financial aid from less than 5% when he took office to more than one-third when he retired.
- Increasing the size of the student body from 8,300 to 11,300 and the size of the tenured faculty from 322 to 974.
- Launching the PACE fundraising program, the largest such program ever undertaken by any university up to that time.
- Launching a building boom on campus that included a new bookstore, post office, student union, dormitories, a faculty club, and many academic buildings.
- Creating the Overseas Campus program for undergraduates in 1958.
Sterling was married to Anna Maria Shaver.