Stanford provost Persis Drell steps down after six years

STANFORD — University provost Persis Drell will be stepping down as the university’s chief academic officer and chief budget officer in the fall quarter after six years on the job, according to a Wednesday announcement.

Drell, a physicist and former director of the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, became provost in February 2017. She will continue to be a member of the Stanford faculty and plans to remain active in teaching this fall, the university said. President Marc Tessier-Lavigne will appoint a successor.

“This is the right time,” Drell said in a statement. “I began sharing with Marc some time ago my thoughts about the rough timeframe to complete my role as provost. Making the transition now provides the opportunity for a new provost to be in place in the fall quarter. I look forward to continuing to focus on the work of the Provost’s Office until my successor is in place.”

To replace Drell, Tessier-Lavigne will establish a faculty-led advisory committee of Stanford community members to search for a new provost. Debra Satz, the Vernon R. and Lysbeth Warren Anderson Dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences, will chair the committee, the school says. The university will release updates as the process gets underway.

“Persis has led vigorously with spirit, candor, good humor, deep thoughtfulness, and steadfast dedication to Stanford’s mission of teaching and research,” Tessier-Lavigne said. “At a personal level, I could not have wished for a better partner than Persis as we have focused together on countless initiatives and issues throughout these last six years.”

Drell’s selection in 2017 as the university’s second-ranking position completed a new leadership team deeply rooted in science. Tessier-Lavigne is a neuroscientist and outspoken advocate of university research.

The provosit administers the academic program of the university, including both teaching and research, according to the school. The responsibilities are quite broad: deans of Stanford’s seven schools and vice provost with leadership roles in research, education, student affairs, budget, faculty development equity and access and other areas all directly report to the provost.

Described as a lively and engaged figure on campus known for her down-to-earth and direct manner, Drell succeeded John Etchemendy, who stepped down after 16 years as provost following a transitional period. Tessier-Lavigne has replaced former president John Hennessy three months before Drell’s appointment.

The first female director of SLAC, a rarity in major physics research laboratories, she led the center through a historic reorganization of its mission as it moves into the ultra-fast and ultra-small world of the new X-ray laser, which can freeze the motions of atoms in time.

She also was the first woman to be named dean of the Stanford School of Engineering. As dean, she catalyzed in 2015 a collaborative school-wide process, known as the SoE Future process, to examine what the engineering school of the future should look like.

As provost, Drell worked closely with Tessier-Lavigne on the university-wide process that led to the creation of Stanford’s Long-Range Vision. She was a champion for diversity and inclusion initiatives to “better prepare Stanford for a more diverse future” and led the university’s operational response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She also continued to teach undergraduates throughout her time as provost.

Drell spearheaded IDEAL, the university’s initiative to advance inclusion, diversity, equity and access at the school, and convened a Framwork Task Force to recommend a new infrastructure for race studies and effects of race on society. She was instrumental in developing an academic department for African and African American Studies as well as the Institute on Race.

She also helped to create the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, the university’s first new school in more than 70 years, as well as the new Civic, Liberal and Global Education program for undergraduates.

Stanford also has continued to expand undergraduate financial aid and last year adopted a series of affordability measures, including enhanced graduate financial support, expanded housing assistance, and new financial support programs for early-career, pre-tenure faculty. Drell was part of putting that program together.

And when COVID-19 hit, Drell quickly pivoted to provide day-to-day leadership of the university’s operational response amid a public health crisis. She organized the university’s new teaching structure and response to students’ needs.

“Persis has provided strong leadership in an extremely challenging time period for Stanford,” said Jenny Martinez, the Richard E. Lang Professor of Law and Dean of Stanford Law School. “She calmly helped steer us all through the unprecedented problems of the pandemic with grace and fortitude, all the while advancing other important measures like the IDEAL initiative. She fostered a strong spirit of collaboration among the deans and schools, which is not always common at universities, but is essential for the kind of interdisciplinary work that sets Stanford apart.”