James L. Sweeney : An Oral History
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Professor James L. Sweeney shares memories of his path to Stanford, the departmental mergers that led to the formation of the Management Science and Engineering Department, and his research and policy work on energy economics and energy efficiency, including his work in the Federal Energy Administration and the creation of the Precourt Center for Energy Efficiency. Sweeney also describes the work of the Stanford Campus Residential Leaseholders (SCRL), an organization in which he has played a leadership role for many years, and ruminates on the relationship between SCRL, the university, and Santa Clara County.
Description
| Type of resource | moving image, sound recording-nonmusical, text |
|---|---|
| Extent | 3 video files; 3 audio files; 1 text file |
| Place | Stanford (Calif.) |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
| Date created | February 4, 2021 - 2021-02-18 |
| Language | English |
| Digital origin | born digital |
Creators/Contributors
| Interviewee | Sweeney, James L. | |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Sweeney, James L. | |
| Interviewer | Schofield, Susan W. | |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Subjects
| Subject | Sweeney, James L. |
|---|---|
| Subject | Stanford University. Department of Management Science and Engineering |
| Subject | Precourt Center for Energy Efficiency |
| Subject | Energy economics |
| Genre | Interview |
Bibliographic information
| Summary Part 1 | Part 1 [00:00:00-00:33:45] Growing up in Connecticut; family background • Impact of his high school math teacher • Studying electrical engineering at MIT • Activities at MIT, including Chi Phi fraternity • Studying at the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) • Transferring to PhD program in Engineering-Economic Systems (EES) at Stanford • Dissertation in urban economics and housing; concept of quality hierarchy • Faculty advisors and teaching while a PhD candidate [00:33:46-00:58:53] Joining the EES faculty at Stanford • EES atmosphere and history • Shifting research to the economics of natural resources and energy demand; influence of PhD students Prem Gard and Richard Gilbert • Leave of absence to work at the Federal Energy Administration; energy modeling [00:58:54-01:29:42] Returning to Stanford • International Association for Energy Economics • Origins of the Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR; later SIEPR); directing CEPR • Folding Stanford Institute for Energy into CEPR • Serving as chair of EES • Merger of EES with Operations Research • Merger of EES-OS with Industrial Engineering to form Management Science and Engineering [01:29:43-02:04:02] Interdisciplinary Focus • Creating the Precourt Center for Energy Efficiency; focus on behavioral issues related to energy use • Founding of the Precourt Institute for Energy and its impact on the Center for Energy Efficiency • Fundraising challenges; Development Office • Writing book Energy Efficiency with encouragement from George Schultz • Dissolution of the Center for Energy Efficiency; current faculty work on energy efficiency • Thoughts on the creation of a new School of Sustainability at Stanford |
|---|---|
| Summary Part 2 | Part 2 [00:00:00-00:31:30] Teaching overview • Capstone project system in MSE • Impact of MSE student projects on solar subsidies and fish sanctuaries in California • Teaching using mathematical models • Growing student interest in entrepreneurship • Mentoring PhD students [00:31:31-01:05:07] Research on Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency standards • Book The California Electricity Crisis • Working on energy policy strategy for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger • Writing Energy Efficiency: Building a Clean, Secure Economy • Future of energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, and nuclear power • Impact of environmental movement [01:05:08-01:54:20] Thoughts on carbon taxes • Reducing use of energy at Stanford v. divestiture movements • Consulting on energy policy in legal cases in the United States and New Zealand • Service on the initial steering committee for E-IPER • Gardner Fellowship Program • Stanford Campus Residential Leaseholders (SCRL) board service and issues • Relationship between SCRL and Stanford; ground rent |
| Summary Part 3 | Part 3 [00:00:00-00:44:30] Stanford homes as beta test site for Google Fiber • Stanford and SCRL efforts to build local walking trails, including the Perimeter Trail • Relationship between country, SCRL, and the university; Stanford historical district issue • Additional examples of SCRL work: cell phone coverage, traffic calming on Junipero Serra, noise mitigation efforts, and property tax assessment policy [00:44:31-01:02:03] Professional service, including analyzing Department of Energy R&D programs and serving on the California Council on Science and Technology • Serving on Governor Schwarzenegger’s Council of Economic Advisors • Organizing Behavior, Energy & Climate Change (BECC) Conferences [01:02:04-01:42:50] Memories of the Vietnam War-era and the Loma Prieta earthquake • Change over time at Stanford, including increasingly corporate feel and growing role of staff • Wife Susan Sweeney and her extensive community volunteer work • Children and grandchildren • Thoughts on retirement and retirement policies at Stanford |
| Transcript |
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| Finding Aid | |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/hz307jc5300 |
| Location | SC0932 |
| Repository | Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
Collection
Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program interviews, 1999-2022
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