CCTV aired a dialogue program between Stanford University in the United States and Peking University, offering one fascinating moment after another.
The host asked Stanford University President John Hennessy: "What exactly is Stanford's educational philosophy? What can it offer students? And what is its mission?" After a series of responses from President Hennessy, the host followed up: "In your opinion, which few words best capture everything you've just described?"
Hennessy didn't hesitate: "Innovation and risk-taking."
What is Stanford University?
Compared to universities on the East Coast of the United States, Stanford was merely a younger sibling. In 1920, Stanford was still just a "rural university," but by 1960 it had risen to the top ranks, and by 1985 it was ranked as the number one university in the United States.
The miracle of this tremendous leap forward was rooted in Stanford's very first day of founding.
On October 1, 1891, Stanford University officially began classes. The founding president, David Starr Jordan, delivered an inspiring speech to faculty, students, and guests: "Our task in this first academic year is to lay the foundation for a university that will endure alongside human civilization. This university will not follow any tradition; no one can block its path. Its goals are entirely focused on the future."
Frederick Terman, the founder of the "Stanford Research Park" and vice president of Stanford University, said: "In a sports team, it's better to have one person who can jump seven feet than five people who can each jump six feet. Similarly, if you have $90,000, it's better to give $30,000 to one outstanding professor and $15,000 each to the other four, rather than giving $18,000 equally to all five."
At the inaugural opening ceremony, Leland Stanford Sr. said: "Remember, life ultimately points toward practicality. You are here to prepare yourselves for useful careers. But you should also understand that this must include the desire for innovation and progress, good planning, and persistent effort to make it happen."
This is the educational and cultural philosophy that has shaped Stanford and its people, encouraging every individual with ideas to start ventures and break new ground. Today's world-renowned Hewlett-Packard (HP) Company started in the research park with just $580. Professor Thomas Lee of the Electrical Engineering Department is another entrepreneurial model: thousands of his students work in Silicon Valley, and he himself holds part-time positions at several companies. Additionally, famous entrepreneurs such as Sanders, the sales-savvy founder of AMD; the serial entrepreneur "startup maniac" Dell; and Nolan Bushnell, the pioneer of the video game industry—all began and grew here. Furthermore, six out of the nine justices on the U.S. Supreme Court graduated from Stanford Law School! And in 1998, Stanford's Graduate School of Business was ranked tied for first place with Harvard Business School.
The ending of the dialogue program between Stanford University and Peking University was particularly thought-provoking.
A Chinese student from Stanford said: "Perhaps it's the California sunshine, but Stanford is different from other schools. Students here love wearing jeans and T-shirts and don't wear ties. Today, for this TV program, we were asked to wear ties. I suggest that Stanford people take off their ties..."
On camera, a guest undid his tie, Stanford President John Hennessy took off his tie, and Min Weifang, the secretary of the Party Committee at Peking University—who once wished he had 25 hours a day to study and research at Stanford—also took off his tie...
Perhaps the philosophy of innovation and risk-taking, and the miracles it has produced, stem from simply not wearing a tie.