A statement from President John L. Hennessy in response to Hurricane Katrina disaster

As residents of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region struggle to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Stanford is committed to help. We continue to offer our heartfelt sympathy and prayers for those who are suffering in New Orleans and on the Gulf Coast.

Below is a summary of the steps we have begun to take in response to the disaster. In the days ahead we will continue to assess our role in supporting relief efforts and update this web site as additional steps are taken.

The Office of Student Affairs is working to contact all Stanford students who may have been in the areas affected by the hurricane to see what assistance we can provide to them, including housing, financial aid and counseling.

Stanford has completed the application process for its temporary undergraduate admission program for students affected by Hurricane Katrina and has offered admission to 36 undergraduates. More details can be found in the "Student Information" section of this website.

Stanford also has developed an opportunity for academically eligible graduate students displaced from colleges and universities in the affected area to apply for one term as non-degree graduate guests. Students who are accommodated at Stanford can attend without tuition and student association fee costs. This program is also operated under the assumption that tuition will be paid to your home college or university and will be utilized there to rebuild. An application form is available by clicking on "Graduate School Information" at left.

The university also is committed to help the affected area by allowing those Stanford employees wishing to volunteer their time to hurricane relief efforts the opportunity to do so under certain conditions. Click here for more details. In addition, Stanford will work with student, staff and faculty groups who are supporting disaster relief efforts through fundraising events. More information is available by clicking on "Relief Efforts" at left.

Finally, the university will continue to work with the Association of American Universities and other groups in an effort to coordinate assistance to the academic institutions affected in New Orleans and on the Gulf Coast.

We will continue to provide details on these and other efforts through regular updates to this web site.