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Miriam Aaron Roland Volunteer Service Prize

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Chris Piech and Miriam Roland
Christopher Piech, the 2024 Roland Prize winner, with Miriam Roland.

The Miriam Aaron Roland Volunteer Service Prize recognizes Stanford faculty who engage and involve students in integrating academic scholarship with significant and meaningful volunteer service.

Established through the generosity of Miriam Aaron Roland, '51 as an endowment to the Haas Center, the Roland Prize is unique at Stanford for its focus on the significant role that public service by faculty can play in higher education, benefiting students, communities, and the faculty themselves.

The prize, which includes a cash award, acknowledges faculty doing exemplary service work with nonprofits, NGOs, government agencies, or philanthropies, either domestically or internationally.

Nominations

A nominee must be a full-time member of the Academic Council, Senior Lecturer, Medical School line faculty member, or clinician educator and demonstrate a personal commitment to service and a record of involving students in service.

Nominations for the 2025 award will open in November. For more information, please contact Shoshanah Cohen.


2024 Awardee

Christopher Piech

Christopher Piech teaches computer science at Stanford and researches how machine learning can enhance our understanding of human learning. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he founded Code in Place, an initiative that offers an online introductory course in programming free of charge to any student who wants to apply. Chris has inspired more than 3,000 Stanford students, alumni, and others to get involved in teaching free coding classes to more than 30,000 learners around the world.


Past Prize Recipients

2023

Manu Prakash, associate professor of bioengineering; senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment; and associate professor, by courtesy, of biology. 

2022

Abby C. King, professor and vice chair for academic affairs of epidemiology and population health and professor of medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

2021

David Cohen, WSD Handa Professor in Human Rights and International Justice, professor of classics and director of the Stanford Center for Human Rights and International Justice.

2020

Arnetha F. Ball, Charles E. Ducommun Endowed Professor, emerita, in the Stanford Graduate School of Education.

2019

Bruce E. Cain, Charles Louis Ducommun Professor in Humanities and Sciences and director of the Bill Lane Center for the American West; senior fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment, the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR), and the Precourt Institute for Energy.

2018

Nicole Ardoin,  Associate Professor of Education in the Graduate School of Education, Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment, and the director of the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program on Environment and Resources (E-IPER).

2017

William Koski,  Eric and Nancy Wright Professor of Clinical Education and Professor of Law (teaching), Stanford Law School; Professor of Education, by courtesy, Stanford Graduate School of Education.

2016

Rodolfo Dirzo,  Bing Professor in Environmental Science in the Department of Biology at Stanford University and the director of the Center for Latin American Studies; senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, and a faculty fellow in the Center for Teaching and Learning.

2015

Elizabeth A. "Liz" Hadly, biology professor and senior associate vice provost for undergraduate education; Paul S. and Billie Achilles Chair of Environmental Biology and senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment.

2014

Catherine "Cathy" Heaney, associate professor (teaching) of psychology and of medicine.

2013

Joan Petersilia, Adelbert H. Sweet Professor of Law and faculty co-director of the Stanford Criminal Justice Center.

2012

Gabriel Garcia, MD, professor of medicine and associate dean of admissions at the Stanford School of Medicine.

2011

Janice Ross, MA ’75, PhD ’98, Professor (Teaching) of Drama and Director of the Dance Division at Stanford.

2010

Debra Satz, Marta Sutton Weeks Professor of Ethics in Society, professor of philosophy and, by courtesy, political science.
Rob Reich, associate professor of political science and, by courtesy, philosophy and the School of Education, is faculty co-director of the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society and faculty director of the Program in Ethics in Society.

2009

Linda Darling-Hammond, Charles E. Ducommun Professor in the School of Education.

2008

Lars Osterberg, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Stanford School of Medicine.

2007

Terry L. Karl '70 (Humanities; '76 MA, '82 PhD, Political Science) Professor of Political Science, Gildred Professor in Latin American Studies and Senior Fellow, by courtesy, at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies.
James M. Patell, Herbert Hoover Professor of Public and Private Management in the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

2006

Don Barr, MD '90 (MS, Health Services Research; '93 PhD, Sociology) Associate Professor (teaching) of Sociology and Human Biology.
Michael Wald, Jackson Eli Reynolds Professor of Law.

2005

Al Camarillo, Professor of History and Haas Centennial Professor in Public Service.
Marilyn A. Winkleby, Associate Professor of Medicine.

2004

Milbrey McLaughlin, David Jacks Professor of Education and Public Policy.
Boyd C. Paulson, Jr., Charles H. Leavell Professor of Civil Engineering.