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Announcing the Jasper Ridge Strategic Plan

JRBP Strategic Plan Cover

Two years ago, we at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve began conversations with our stakeholders to assess how the preserve could most effectively contribute to our university, our broader community, and the world. The result is the strategic plan we’re delighted to unveil today, Achieving the Vision. The process included faculty, staff, students, thought leaders in surrounding communities, alumni, Jasper Ridge docents, national and international field-station researchers and educators, and Stanford upper administrators.  This process affirmed the preserve’s long-standing mission, crystallized a vision for the future, defined appropriate initiatives, and highlighted issues that need to be addressed over the next ten years.

The resulting path forward aligns well with Stanford’s overarching mission to achieve the purposeful university, embracing a complex, interdependent world. Given its unique setting, exceptional expertise, and involved university and outside communities, Jasper Ridge has become the perfect place to incubate critical contributions that will extend the frontiers of knowledge, foster engaged world citizens, and help guide the future of our planet during this time of unusually rapid and intense global change.

At the core of our strategic plan are three initiatives—Anthropocene Biodiversity, Science for Land Stewardship, and Out of the Box and Into the Cloud—that inter-relate to provide new local, regional, and global opportunities for students and faculty. Together, the three initiatives will engage sectors of campus that have not traditionally used Jasper Ridge and enable interdisciplinary and cross-cultural training and research to enhance stewardship of Planet Earth.

While we implement the new initiatives, work with new campus and outside partners, and improve infrastructure, we will of course continue the amazing work that already goes on at Jasper Ridge—world- class research, teaching of thousands of students each year both from Stanford and elsewhere, and a vibrant outreach program that transfers knowledge generated at Jasper Ridge to learners of all ages and backgrounds. We invite you to join us on our exciting journey into the future!