October 27, 2023
Dear ACE Community,
I hope this note finds you well. As I’m sure you have heard, our summer here on The Farm was eventful as we navigated a new round of conference realignment.
We feel very excited to have found a new and promising future home in the Atlantic Coast Conference, which will align us with peer institutions of similar values and preserve our student-athletes’ abilities to compete at the highest levels. The move will allow us to compete and recruit in exciting new markets, however, it does come with some new challenges in the form of travel and scheduling.
As we create plans to navigate these challenges and keep our student-athletes’ mental and physical health and well-being top-of-mind, we are still working to fully understand the financial implications associated with this new alignment.
In light of these considerations, we have made the difficult decision to pause our involvement in the ACE program. I know that this program has meant a lot to many participants, donors, and other stakeholders, and we hope there may be a time in the future when we are able to prioritize this type of programming again.
I would like to specifically thank the Bing family for their many years of generous support which has provided transformational international experiences for over a hundred Cardinal student-athletes. I would also like to thank the ACE program staff, led by Emily Durham, our wonderful partners at Duke University, and Kristen Azevedo, Stanford’s Assistant Athletics Director, Student-Athlete Development, who has been critical to the program’s success here on campus.
We appreciate your understanding as we establish the foundation for a successful transition for Cardinal student-athletes. We will be rooting for the continued success of the ACE Program, and hopeful to reestablish these types of offerings once we more fully understand our financial future.
Go Card,
Bernard Muir
Jaquish & Kenninger Director of Athletics
Stanford University