Stanford will rename campus spaces named for David Starr Jordan and relocate statue depicting Louis Agassiz

Stanford will rename campus features named after David Starr Jordan and take actions to provide the public with a more complete view of his complex history, which includes not only his seminal leadership as the university’s founding president but also his parallel leadership in promoting eugenics.

The university will also relocate from the façade of Jordan Hall a statue of Jordan’s mentor, Louis Agassiz.

The decision follows a review conducted this summer by a committee of faculty, staff, students and alumni. The university’s Board of Trustees, acting on a recommendation by President Marc Tessier-Lavigne, approved these steps:

• Removing Jordan’s name from Jordan Hall, current home of the Department of Psychology; Jordan Quad and Jordan Modulars, near Panama Street and Campus Drive West; and Jordan Way in the Stanford Medical Center area;
• Relocating a statue of Agassiz from Jordan Hall to a location where it can be given appropriate context; and
• Developing an active effort to better explain the full range of Jordan’s legacy and contributions, beginning with an informational plaque in Jordan Hall and extending to additional efforts such as...