Stanford launches Knight-Hennessy scholarship

25 Feb '16

5 min read

Knight-Hennessy Scholars integrates the best aspects of other distinguished scholarship programmes, but goes beyond them to offer a diverse, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary education that is a hallmark of Stanford. Ranked among the top five in the world, Stanford's seven graduate and professional schools in which scholars will enroll include law; business; medicine; engineering; humanities and sciences; education; and Earth, energy and environmental sciences. Scholars pursuing PhD or MD degrees will have the option to receive funding beyond three years.

The scholars will benefit from Stanford's location in the innovation center of the world, with additional courses in design thinking, innovation and entrepreneurship. Knight-Hennessy Scholars will also be exposed to leadership training and development, residential experiences, immersive educational opportunities, additional degree opportunities focused on public policy and problem-solving at scale. A social startup fund will be created to seed nonprofit startups launched by Knight-Hennessy alumni.

The Knight-Hennessy Scholars programme has strong support from the Stanford Board of Trustees and Stanford's next president.

"I greatly admire the vision and ambition of the Knight-Hennessy Scholars, which leverages the full breadth and scope of Stanford as a comprehensive research university. As the beneficiary of a Rhodes Scholarship, I can attest to the value of such programs to provide a broad base of knowledge and exposure to a dynamic, international network of peers," said Marc Tessier-Lavigne, who will succeed Hennessy as Stanford's 11th president on September 1. "As incoming president, I'm looking forward to working closely with John as we develop, define and grow a program that will inspire leadership for the betterment of humanity."

Knight's founding gift to the Knight-Hennessy Scholars endowment is the largest cash gift from an individual to Stanford. Other gifts include a $100 million donation from Robert King and his wife, Dorothy, and $50 million from Stanford Board of Trustees Chair Steven Denning and his wife, Roberta. In total, dozens of Stanford benefactors have given more than $700 million to support the programme, more than 90 per cent of the endowment goal.

Knight has long been a supporter of Stanford. In 2006, he made a major gift to Stanford Graduate School of Business and has provided substantial support for endowed professorships and Stanford Athletics. With this gift, Knight wanted to honor Hennessy's 16-year tenure leading Stanford and to fund an initiative of scope and scale at an institution where he was confident the graduates would go on to make a real difference.

"John and I dream of a future 20, 30 or 50 years from now, when thousands of graduates – who can think outside the box as skilled problem-solvers – will be working together for a more peaceful, habitable world," said Knight. "The Knight-Hennessy Scholars program is a fitting tribute to John, one of the great academic leaders of our time."

The $100 million gift from Robert King and his wife, Dorothy, will fund a cohort of scholars from less economically developed regions of the world. It will also support the King Global Leadership Program, a distinctive training and development curriculum in which all Knight-Hennessy Scholars will participate to complement their core degree studies. (SH)

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