Celebrating 100 years of community through connecting, learning, and coming together.
Throughout a year of global events and gatherings, the Stanford Graduate School of Business community shared memories, learned from each other, and sparked new conversations. Yet more than just a chance to look back, the school’s 100th birthday was also an opportunity to look forward. As Dean Sarah A. Soule said, “This Centennial is not only a marker of where we have been. It is a launchpad for where we will go.”
The Big Day
Stanford GSB celebrated Centennial Day with an all-day event on campus on October 10, 2025. Class reunions and panel discussions provided opportunities for people to connect at the Knight Management Center during the day. An evening show at Frost Amphitheater featuring notable speakers, interactive exhibits, and musical performances capped off the festivities.
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A Team Effort
Hundreds of staff members helped organize and run Centennial Day, from former deans of admission to current members of Stanford GSB’s administrative teams.
Shining a Light
Current students joined alumni, faculty, and staff on stage, asking the audience to “answer the call” of the next century by turning on their cellphone flashlights to “set the stage for… the future of further generations of students whose time at the GSB will produce positive impact across our world.”
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Call of Duty
The evening celebrated “everyone who has said yes to the call and who has shown up for this community.” Dean Sarah A. Soule took a live call from former Stanford GSB dean and Stanford President Jon Levin.
A series of interactive exhibits included a button-making booth and a wall where people could collect and personalize their flair.
Jennifer Aaker, PhD ’95, and George G.C. Parker, MBA ’62, PhD ’67, shared highlights of the Faculty Celebration of Scholarship held in September.
The audience was treated to In Brightness, an original musical composition by Hitomi Oba performed by the San Francisco Symphony Brass Ensemble.
Erin Nixon, MBA ’10, assistant dean of admissions and financial aid
The audience at Frost Amphitheater
OK Go frontman Damian Kulash
Brain Trust
Teaching, research, and scholarship are central to Stanford GSB’s century-long legacy of intellectual rigor, collaboration, and academic distinction. Indeed, numerous awards, publications, and honors — including six Nobel Prizes — can be claimed by the school’s faculty. To recognize this commitment to curiosity-led excellence, a series of multimedia displays, programs, and events featured faculty and students over the course of the year.
GSB at 100, a four-part podcast series, features faculty, staff, alumni, and students talking about what has made — and makes — Stanford GSB the unique place it is today.
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GSB at 100 Podcast Listeners
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Julia Yu
Merch Madness
Some of the Centennial-themed swag handed out and served up last year
1,000
Centennial lattes
2,100
Centennial cookies
9,100
Lapel pins
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Turning Heads
An interactive carousel highlighted figures from Stanford GSB’s history. Since 1925, 11 deans and 4 interim deans have answered the call to lead the school — and help move it forward. As former dean Robert Joss, Sloan ’66, MBA ’67, PhD ’70, said, “I always figure the role of a leader is to see if you can change it for the better, and get people excited about changing it for the better.”
Meeting of the Minds
More than 400 faculty, PhD alumni, and students from each of Stanford GSB’s seven academic areas gathered on September 8 and 9, 2025, for the Faculty Celebration of Scholarship, a first-of-its-kind convocation. Over the two days, each academic area sponsored a mini-conference that recognized scholarly achievements, recent contributions to the field, and new directions for research.
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Catherine Roberts
Class Acts
Irving Grousbeck, the MBA Class of 1980 Adjunct Professor of Management, Emeritus, and Charles Holloway, the Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Professor of Management, Emeritus, are credited for creating the model of teacher-practioner through their entrepreneurship curriculum. As part of their efforts, more than 150 industry experts now teach at the GSB. The Lecturer Appreciation Event on September 17, 2025, celebrated this group’s contributions.
A Small World
It’s no secret that Stanford GSB alumni consistently show up for each other. From the Class of 1968’s annual get-togethers to a private podcast created by the class of 2005 to the alumni-sponsored 100 Dinners campaign, our graduates maintain their connections and keep finding new ways to engage. A host of Stanford GSB-sponsored events gathered alumni from around the world, and gave Sarah A. Soule a chance to join in the fun as the new Stanford GSB dean.
Town Square Travels: Miami alumni enjoyed music, local cuisine — including Centennial coconuts (below) — and a conversation about the future of entrepreneurship and innovation at the GSB.
Celebration Cities
Boston
Cape Town
Chicago
Dallas
Hong Kong
Los Angeles
Mexico City
Miami
Paris
São Paulo
Seattle
Shanghai
Seattle
Attendees enjoyed a celebration with a great view centered around the theme “The Future of Data Science.” Highlights included a conversation between Nobel laureate Guido Imbens, Stanford GSB professor of economics and the newly appointed director of Stanford Data Science, and Steve Kessel, MBA ’94, about Imbens’ groundbreaking work on causal inference and its impact across diverse fields.
Hong Kong
A multiday conference and celebration featured Dean Soule, Stanford GSB faculty, and alumni speakers.
Los Angeles
The iconic Sheats-Goldstein Residence was the site of a glamorous evening in the Hollywood Hills.
Boston: Cohosted by RoAnn Costin, MBA ’81, Robert Bailey, MBA ’19, and Nicole Kim Bailey, MBA ’19, this event welcomed students and alumni from all over New England.
Mexico City: The Latin America Centennial Celebration showcased the community’s diversity and dynamism.Mexico City: The Latin America Centennial Celebration showcased the community’s diversity and dynamism.
Paris: Hosted at the historic Cercle de l’Union Interalliée, this Centennial event celebrated the impact of GSBers across Europe.
Chicago
For 100 years, we’ve been dedicated to the things that haven’t happened yet, and the people who are about to dream them up. In 2025, we celebrated our Centennial through stories and events.
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Peer to Peer: The Class of 1995 Connects with the Class of 2025
Yashee Mathur, PhD ’26: The Search for Clean, Affordable Hydrogen Energy
