Solutions powered by partnership

SRWC Operations strengthened its commitment to timely, reliable service by improving response times to service requests, while maintaining a strong focus on safety through strategic partnerships. The formalization of Service Level Agreements further enhanced this work, giving partners clear visibility into progress and timelines and enabling more effective planning for critical operations.

Resilience Through Consistency

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Reliable Service

Keeping our promise of timely service, this year we changed the way we respond to service requests. Our new formal Service Level Agreements give our partners visibility on progress and guaranteed timelines, so users can plan critical work.

Protected Assets

When a critical Environmental Health & Safety role went vacant, our team stepped in, ensuring students, faculty, and staff remained protected. As a result, over $1.75 billion in university assets in Redwood City are now better protected by new flood mitigation plans.

Resilience Through Safety

Secured Standards

Located in a region increasingly vulnerable to sea level rise, the Redwood City campus required proactive protection. In response, SRWC Operations implemented a comprehensive flood mitigation strategy, prioritizing the safety of students, faculty, and staff. As a result, more than $1.75 billion in university assets were better protected.

Safety Alliances

Partnered with Stanford Government Affairs and One Shoreline to improve local infrastructure to benefit the surrounding community and campus. Conducted emergency preparedness tabletop exercises with University Information & Technology (UIT) and the  Department of Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation (DAPER).

Stanford Redwood City deepened campus connections and our impact beyond campus by activating our physical space, serving our local community, and designing interactive and transparent communication tools.

Communal Space Activation

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Our community successfully leveraged campus infrastructure to welcome 400 neighborhood families alongside campus staff. Co-hosted with the Office of Community Engagement (OCE), STEMfest transformed Cardinal Hall conference rooms, the Dining Pavilion, and the café into hands-on interactive demonstration zones.

Concurrent programming, high foot traffic, and diverse learning opportunities were all experienced while maintaining safe, welcoming, and efficient operations. This approach highlighted our ability to seamlessly transition beyond traditional workday use to expand Stanford’s reach as a community resource. Through operational partnership, we are maximizing the value of our physical spaces and creating inclusive, accessible environments that foster learning, connection, and community impact.

Community Service

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Stanford Redwood City maintains a commitment to ongoing partnerships that support education, wellness, and service. These initiatives reflect our dedication to being an active, responsive, and generous partner to the surrounding community.

Supporting Local Children & Families

SRWC has proudly supported the Police Activities League (PAL) through its annual Toy & Book Drive and Back-to-School Drive, providing essential resources to local children and families. During the holiday season, SRWC staff came together to Adopt-a-Family at Taft Elementary School, uniting our campus community to support local families through thoughtful gift giving and essential item donations.

Promoting Human & Animal Welfare

SRWC partnered with Pets In Need, a local no-kill animal shelter, to host Yappy Hours that brought staff in support of animal welfare and adoption. It also gave staff a necessary breather from their busy days.

In partnership with the Stanford Blood Center, SRWC hosted quarterly blood drives, making it convenient for staff to give back in a meaningful way during the workday.

Communication Connections

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Our community consistently expresses a desire to be informed and to feel included. In response, we built a resilient communication framework to carry the campus forward. At the core of this improved communications system is the belief that trust is built through clarity, connection, and consistent support of the community.

• Connection through storytelling: To strengthen our sense of belonging, our newsletters, digital displays, and Slack channels include stories of people working behind the scenes that reflect shared values and everyday impact. Readers are invited to participate and share information.
• Event Planning Website: A revamped event planning webpage enables occupants to easily find event spaces and rental equipment. By pairing visuals with descriptions, we made it easier for people to envision what was possible and confidently plan gatherings that bring the campus together.
• Photo Library: To create a shared visual record of campus life, we hired photographers for large events and used the professional photos to build a central media library. These images create a way for people to see themselves reflected in the story of SRWC.
• Emergency Communications: Timeliness and trust are essential. We initiated consistent updates around maintenance, repairs, power outages, and urgent incidents, such as guiding the staff during a fire alarm in Academy Hall. We maintained communication lines during moments of heightened concern, such as the recycled water crisis.
• Reflecting on Progress: We published our first Year in Review for 2023-2024 as a measure of how the campus adapts, evolves, and builds trust together.

Our more streamlined communications system is rooted in consistency, empathy, and care. Our community is better informed, heard, and connected, enabling us all to confidently navigate campus operations, especially during times of change.

During a year of significant transition, SRWC built systems designed to absorb change. Centralizing paper storage, bulk purchasing, and coordinating deliveries reduced waste, costs, and operational strain while increasing reliability. By streamlining workflows and minimizing disruptions, these efforts advanced the campus toward its sustainability goals amid evolving demands and constraints.

Reducing Cost, Time & Risk

Centralized printer paper logistics at the Redwood City campus has significantly reduced the operational overhead required to manage inventory. Previously, staff spent considerable time receiving, breaking down, and storing frequent pallet deliveries from Amazon. Now, paper is stored at SRWC and delivered weekly to the Stanford campus, minimizing disruptions.

Cardinal Print has reduced both per-unit paper costs and shipping expenses. Bulk purchasing and fewer deliveries have led to more favorable pricing and lower overall transportation costs.

The new paper delivery and storage model has also reduced stress associated with unpredictable shipments, space constraints, and last-minute shortages. Coordinating deliveries with the campus mail team has improved workflow alignment and minimized disruptions to daily operations.

Sustaining Partnerships

Building on the success of pilot programs over the past year, SRWC Operations partnered with our custodial service provider to deploy Biom and Soap2O in three campus buildings. We collaborated with Recology to ensure waste signage was compliant and consistent across campus, and introduced new waste bins for events.

Removing Barriers to Waste Sorting

In alignment with the university’s zero waste goals, we leveraged our partnership with Stanford’s Office of Sustainability and the Sustainable Stanford Fellowship program to generate valuable insights into the waste behaviors of staff, supporting efforts to reduce waste.

Effective waste sorting is not just about having the right bins it is about making the right behavior easy and intuitive. During the 2024-2025 academic year, SRWC partnered with Stanford’s Office of Sustainability and the Sustainable Stanford Fellowship program to identify obstacles that prevent proper waste sorting at campus events. By understanding staff behaviors and implementing targeted interventions, the project removed barriers, encouraged sustainable habits, and reduced the amount of waste sent to landfill.

SRWC welcomed its inaugural fellow, tasked with investigating waste sorting behavior and deploying behavioral interventions. The project identified key opportunities in the event planning process, including:

• Providing only recyclable or compostable foodware items
• Ensuring adequate capacity for compostable material by utilizing larger or multiple compost bins
• Removing landfill bins when all items can be recycled or composted
• Monitoring bins to set a positive example and encourage proper sorting

“It’s easy to think about the waste we produce as just the small bin that sits in the corner of the kitchen, but at the start of my fellowship, I went to one of our local recycling facilities and got to see – and smell – the real scale of the waste our campus community produces.”

Sarah Paulson, Student Fellow

With more people wanting to properly sort their waste, and an environment that makes it easier to do so, our campus can pave the way for meaningful reductions. 

Paulson also emphasized, “Employees at these recycling facilities are doing their job, hand sorting through the waste they are given to get it properly recycled. So it is our job to get the right materials into the recycling bin so that they can be sorted – otherwise they get sent to the landfill and never get used again.”

This collaboration with the Sustainable Stanford fellowship program provides students with opportunities to lead projects that advance Stanford’s sustainability goals while making measurable impacts on campus operations.