Stanford University COVID-19 Oral History Project

Stanford University COVID-19 Oral History Project - Seeking Community Input

The COVID-19 Pandemic is having an unprecedented impact on our world, our country, our state, and the Stanford community.  All of us have been affected in one way or another by what Provost Persis Drell has called “the worst crisis in the university’s history.” The sense that we are experiencing a major historical event is truly and intensely palpable, and there are many stories that we need and want to share with each other and with future generations. These include those of:

• students, faculty, and staff who are trying hard to adapt to new ways of learning, teaching, research, and work;
• biomedical, engineering, and other researchers who are urgently seeking solutions;
• front-line healthcare workers involved in patient care;
• university disaster response teams; 
• and many more.

To preserve first-person accounts of this time and to document both individual experiences and institutional responses, the Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program and the Stanford University Archives are embarking on an oral history project. But we can’t do it alone. We need feedback and ideas from the community; partners to work with; and volunteers to help us with the project.

Please lend a hand by filling out the planning form, which asks:

• Who should be interviewed? Types of people, specific names, and/or self-nominations.
• What themes/topics should interviews explore?
• What specific questions might interviewers ask?
• What other thoughts or ideas do you have about this project? Let us know if you’d like to help with the project, have ideas for partnerships or funding, and more!