Public scrutiny over a report confirming that Google Inc. spent $5.4 million on lobbying in Washington D.C. in the first three quarters of 2011 has raised awareness among students and faculty about the influence that Google and other high-tech companies wield at Stanford.
Stanford Student Enterprises (SSE), the financial branch of the ASSU, started two new business ventures this academic year. SSE opened Campus Mobile, an AT&T authorized retailer, in Tresidder Memorial Union on Sept. 7, and is preparing for the public opening of Ground Up, an off-campus coffee shop, next Wednesday.
“Innovation” is a quintessential Stanford buzzword — after all, it’s the alma mater of countless entrepreneurs over the years. The research generated by its intellectual ferment has been one of the largest driving forces for the Bay Area’s high-tech industry. Not to downplay its significance, establishing a comparable environment is no easy task, and the word serves as a beacon for those who dream of similar academic and economic successes.