Simoni, Robert D.

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Abstract/Contents

Abstract: In the first interview session, Robert D. “Bob” Simoni, holder of the Donald Kennedy Chair in the School of Humanities & Sciences and professor of biology, speaks about his education at San Jose State University, his marriage while still an undergraduate and the early addition of three children to their family, Ph. D. graduate work at U. C. Davis, and five years as a postdoc at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. On the Stanford faculty for 42 years, since 1971, Bob discusses the biology department, which he chaired multiple times (a total of 17 years), his areas of research. He also talks about the role and importance of the university’s Advisory Board on which he was elected to serve four different terms of three years each. In the second interview session, Bob discusses his 31 years of service on the Faculty Senate, the value he sees in the Senate, and some of the issues that arose during his time, including Western Civ-Western Culture debates, grade inflation, and the failed attempt to implement a Science Core curriculum. He describes the university’s budget process, in which he has participated, and speaks about the indirect cost crisis in the late 1980s-early 1990s. He offers views on student athletics, Title IX, fund raising, the School of Humanities & Sciences, the current emphasis on interdisciplinary research, Stanford’s rise “from good to great,” his hobby as a winemaker, and plans for retirement.

Type of resource	mixed material
Date created	February 21, 2014 - March 11, 2014

Author	Simoni, Robert D.
Contributing author	Schofield, Susan
Publisher	Stanford Historical Society

Subject	Robert Simoni
Subject	Stanford Historical Society
Subject	oral histories
Subject	interviews
Subject	biology department
Subject	Faculty Senate
Subject	university budget
Subject	athletics
Subject	interdisciplinary research

Related item	Title Finding aid
Location	https://purl.stanford.edu/kf077mp9357

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.

Preferred Citation: Robert D. Simoni (2014) Oral
history. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at:
http://purl.stanford.edu/kf077mp9357

Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program interviews, 1999-2022

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