ORSL Transition

We are undergoing a bittersweet change in the Office for Religious & Spiritual Life. Our colleague Laurie Hahn Tapper, who has served the Stanford community as Campus Rabbi and Associate Dean for the past four years, will be leaving us this summer.

A 1998 graduate of Stanford, Laurie returned to campus in 2021 and quickly became an integral member of our spiritual care team. She has been an unwavering source of compassion and guidance, and has provided thoughtful leadership and support for a number of projects across the campus community.

Among her many contributions, she served on the Antisemitism, Bias, and Communication Subcommittee, and the Advisory Task Force on the History of Jewish Admissions and Experience. She developed and launched the Leadership, Organizing, and Action project in collaboration with the Haas Center for Public Service, coordinated the Grief Group for students experiencing loss, and facilitated numerous opportunities for reflection, including Circles of Connection and Honoring Lives, the annual service of hope, healing, and to remember and honor loved ones lost. This year, in partnership with Dr. Amina Darwish and other campus partners, she brought the Parents Circle Families Forum (PCFF) to campus for a powerful program featuring stories of grief and hope from bereaved families from Palestine and Israel. Laurie has left a lasting legacy at Stanford through her passion, dedication, and commitment to fostering better, fuller lives of meaning and purpose for our campus community and world. 

In connection with her departure, we are initiating a search for our next Associate Dean for Religious & Spiritual Life. Click here to view the job posting.

While we are sad Laurie is leaving,  we celebrate her many contributions to Stanford and her transition to a new season in her life as she cares for her family during a time of great growth and change.