The essential conviction behind the Stanford residence program is that formal teaching, informal learning, and personal support in residences are integral to a Stanford education. Residential Education programs extend the classroom into the residences and complement the academic curriculum with activities and experiences essential to students' preparation for a life of leadership, intellectual engagement, citizenship, and service. As part of Residential Education, residences host numerous programs, lectures, and mini-courses. They sponsor faculty visits and study groups. Residences expose students to the arts and culture through house drama productions and outings to community events.
Residences also form athletic teams, organize parties, and go on trips together.
But much education in the residences is informal, gained by living among students of different backgrounds, through discussions with friends over dinner, and in negotiating with roommates about the stereo volume. Programs in the residences are supported by a team of professional and student staff members designated for each house or cluster of houses. Residence Deans provide counseling and crisis intervention and act as resources to facilitate problem solving. All residences in which freshmen live have Resident Fellows, faculty or senior staff members who live in a residence and coordinate its educational program. All residences have Resident Assistants, students who help build community and provide personal support to residents.