Personal Message

There is no easy way for me to say this—I will be stepping down this fall as Laboratory Director. When I accepted the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to head SLAC, I told then President Gerhard Casper that I would serve "eight to ten years." I believed then, as I still do, that change at the "top" is healthy for large organizations and that in these times of increasing management complexity and accountability, senior managers best serve their institutions by stepping aside after a decade of stewardship. This fall I will complete my eighth year as Director.

Sharing this news with you all makes today one of the most challenging in my tenure as Director. I would much prefer that this be a two-way conversation and accordingly I have scheduled four All Hands Meetings tomorrow in the Panofsky Auditorium (see below). I very much hope that I will have the opportunity to see you in one of those sessions.

Why have I chosen to step down in this particular year? Foremost on
my mind is the long-term health of SLAC! About one year from now,
Stanford needs to be fully ready to submit its response to the anticipated
DOE Request for Proposals for the contract competition to operate SLAC. As
I said in my SLAC Today column of November 27, 2006, Competing DOE
Laboratory Contracts, Stanford University's objective is clear—to retain
long-term operation of SLAC so as to continue the legacy of scientific
discovery and exceptional technical innovation that have characterized
SLAC these past 45 years. While we at Stanford don't fear the competition,
it is imperative that we submit a powerful and fully responsive proposal.
The Director who leads the preparation of that proposal must be the same
person who pledges to serve the first five years of the post-competition
award. For me to undertake that responsibility requires that I serve well
beyond the decade that I consider to be in the best long-term interest of
the Laboratory. Ideally then, a new Director should be in place this fall.

I have asked President Hennessy to establish a committee to seek a new
Director for SLAC. As described in Stanford's press release of this morning,
the President has asked Professor Persis Drell to head the Search
Committee and she has graciously agreed to do so. The Committee will be
established shortly and commence a world-wide search in broad
consultation with the relevant stakeholders.

During the remainder of this year, you can be assured of my continued full
commitment to lead SLAC as vigorously as I have done in the past. Beyond
that, I remain supremely confident that SLAC, under the continued
stewardship of the DOE-Stanford partnership that has been so successful,
will remain an enormously exciting, supportive and rewarding work
environment, one that will take the Laboratory to yet greater scientific
achievements. When it does come time for me to pass on the mantle, I
have no intention of retiring but will stay on in this Laboratory and
University that I cherish so deeply.

======================================================

Schedule for the All Hands on Tuesday March 13, 2007. Please join me for
refreshments at the end of each session.

7:00–7:45 a.m.
Owl shift and any others who may have schedule difficulties in the other
three sessions

9:00–9:45 a.m.
Last names starting A through G

11:00–11:45 a.m.
Last names starting H through P

3:00–3:45 p.m.
Last names starting Q through Z and swing shift

Events (see all | submit)

March 12: (12:00 p.m.) Help Center Workshop: The Thunder Years: Coping with Adolescence
March 12: (4:15 p.m.) SLAC Colloquium: Nuclear Weapons - Security or Insecurity?
March 13: (8:00 a.m.) XAS Short Course for Structural Molecular Biology Applications
March 13: (12:30 p.m.) Experimental Seminar: Searching for New Physics in Beauty and Charm

Access (see all)

Announcements
(see all | submit)

Lab Announcements

Community Bulletin Board

News(see all | submit)

Out There NY Times Magazine
Bacterial Walls Come Tumbling Down Lightsources.org

<% Response.AddHeader "Last-modified", getArticleDate() 'Response.AddHeader "Last-modified","Mon, 01 Sep 1997 01:03:33 GMT" 'Monday, December 06, 2010 %>

View online at http://today.slac.stanford.edu//.

Personal Message There is no easy way for me to say this—I will be stepping down this fall as Laboratory Director. When I accepted the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to head SLAC, I told then President Gerhard Casper that I would serve "eight to ten years." I believed then, as I still do, that change at the "top" is healthy for large organizations and that in these times of increasing management complexity and accountability, senior managers best serve their institutions by stepping aside after a decade of stewardship. This fall I will complete my eighth year as Director. Sharing this news with you all makes today one of the most challenging in my tenure as Director. I would much prefer that this be a two-way conversation and accordingly I have scheduled four All Hands Meetings tomorrow in the Panofsky Auditorium (see below). I very much hope that I will have the opportunity to see you in one of those sessions.
Why have I chosen to step down in this particular year? Foremost on my mind is the long-term health of SLAC! About one year from now, Stanford needs to be fully ready to submit its response to the anticipated DOE Request for Proposals for the contract competition to operate SLAC. As I said in my SLAC Today column of November 27, 2006, Competing DOE Laboratory Contracts, Stanford University's objective is clear—to retain long-term operation of SLAC so as to continue the legacy of scientific discovery and exceptional technical innovation that have characterized SLAC these past 45 years. While we at Stanford don't fear the competition, it is imperative that we submit a powerful and fully responsive proposal. The Director who leads the preparation of that proposal must be the same person who pledges to serve the first five years of the post-competition award. For me to undertake that responsibility requires that I serve well beyond the decade that I consider to be in the best long-term interest of the Laboratory. Ideally then, a new Director should be in place this fall. I have asked President Hennessy to establish a committee to seek a new Director for SLAC. As described in Stanford's press release of this morning, the President has asked Professor Persis Drell to head the Search Committee and she has graciously agreed to do so. The Committee will be established shortly and commence a world-wide search in broad consultation with the relevant stakeholders. During the remainder of this year, you can be assured of my continued full commitment to lead SLAC as vigorously as I have done in the past. Beyond that, I remain supremely confident that SLAC, under the continued stewardship of the DOE-Stanford partnership that has been so successful, will remain an enormously exciting, supportive and rewarding work environment, one that will take the Laboratory to yet greater scientific achievements. When it does come time for me to pass on the mantle, I have no intention of retiring but will stay on in this Laboratory and University that I cherish so deeply. ====================================================== Schedule for the All Hands on Tuesday March 13, 2007. Please join me for refreshments at the end of each session. 7:00–7:45 a.m. Owl shift and any others who may have schedule difficulties in the other three sessions 9:00–9:45 a.m. Last names starting A through G 11:00–11:45 a.m. Last names starting H through P 3:00–3:45 p.m. Last names starting Q through Z and swing shift	Events (see all \| submit) March 12: (12:00 p.m.) Help Center Workshop: The Thunder Years: Coping with Adolescence March 12: (4:15 p.m.) SLAC Colloquium: Nuclear Weapons - Security or Insecurity? March 13: (8:00 a.m.) XAS Short Course for Structural Molecular Biology Applications March 13: (12:30 p.m.) Experimental Seminar: Searching for New Physics in Beauty and Charm Access (see all) Building 40 construction Alpine Gate & PEP Ring Road closed Gates 17 & 30 open 24-7 Research Yard bisected Announcements (see all \| submit) Lab Announcements 2007 Employee Recognition Awards now open for nominations Katherine Pope Fellowship deadline extended to March 23 New Publication: ESH Manual, Chapter 29, Respiratory Protection New Publication: ESH Manual, Chapter 25, Portable Tools Community Bulletin Board Tax Relief Workshop: March 23 SLAC Financial Fair: March 24 Training and Organizational Development: Spring classes Retirement Savings and Stanford Matching Contributions Refresher Course: March 19 News(see all \| submit) Out There NY Times Magazine Bacterial Walls Come Tumbling Down Lightsources.org
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	Monday - March 12, 2007