Stanford
Residential Education
Aerial view of Stanford. Credit: Credit Linda A. Cicero / Stanford News Service

Academic Theme Houses

A University Theme House - Academic (UTH-A) is a productive academic collaboration between multiple participants: staff, faculty, institutional affiliates, and undergraduates, all within a residence. This intentional collaboration will seek to promote intellectual vitality in the residence.

Decorative accent featuring eight dots representing the eight Neighborhood colors.

 

The premise is that the theme will assist in forming a dynamic community around a designated focus, creating interesting and stimulating conversation and knowledge exchange. This will contribute to a student’s sense of well-being and belonging in their residence to which they will have specifically pre-assigned. 

Decorative accent featuring eight dots representing the eight Neighborhood colors.

Here are some common features of these houses:

  • Open to all students ​who apply from any neighborhood.
  • Can be all-frosh, four-class or upperclass houses.
  • If you live in this type of house your first year, the neighborhood the house is in will become your neighborhood home. You are still eligible to live in a different university theme house in your upperclass years.
  • While open to students in all neighborhoods, the house will be part of one neighborhood, will participate on that neighborhood’s community council, and will have access to and share resources with the neighborhood.
  • Governed by the Committee on Residential Learning (CoRL).

Academic Theme House Pages

  • Explore Energy (Theme)

     A vibrant residential community and living laboratory that expands energy and sustainability education through interdisciplinary dialogue, exploration, and action.

  • Humanities (Theme)

     Opened in the fall of 2015, Ng House is a lively central location for humanities activity on campus.

  • ITALIC+Arts (Theme)

     All pre-assigned residents of ITALIC+Arts must demonstrate interest in and active engagement in the arts. But, you don’t need to be a prodigy or even majoring in the arts!

  • Outdoor House (Theme)

     Outdoor House (ODH) is a center for exploration, thought, and play focused on natural systems, sustainability, and conservation.

  • Public Service & Civic Engagement (Theme)

     Otero is Stanford’s Public Service and Civic Engagement Theme House, a four-class house with 44 first-year residents and 34 upperclass residents who share an interest in public service.

  • Structured Liberal Education (Theme)

     Structured Liberal Education (SLE) is a residence-based academic program housed in East Florence Moore Hall that encourages students to live a life of ideas in an atmosphere that emphasizes critical thinking and interpretation.

  • Well House (Theme)

     We want to create a substance-free undergraduate residential community and experience based on the theme of wellness.
Exterior photo of Okada House.