The Leland Stanford, Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university located in Palo Alto, California, United States.
The university was founded in 1891 by United States Senator and former California governor, Leland Stanford, and his wife, Jane Lathrop Stanford, as a memorial to their son Leland Stanford, Jr., who died after contracting typhoid in Italy a few weeks before his 16th birthday. The Stanfords used their farm lands in Palo Alto on which to establish the university with the hope of creating a large institution of higher education in California.
Relevance[]
Within the Chuck universe, Stanford is where Chuck and Bryce met when they attended university together, bonding over a common interest in the game Zork. The modified Zork code they created together at Stanford was used as a password protection method when Bryce sent Chuck the Intersect.
In the Season One episode Chuck Versus the Alma Mater, Chuck has to return to Stanford University, from where he was wrongfully expelled, on homecoming weekend to help a former professor; Professor Fleming. The professor copied intel containing information on the students that he had been recruiting into the CIA and NSA for years, and is now being hunted by an Icelandic mercenary, Magnus Einerson.
Unfortunately the professor is attacked, and shot in the back - with a cross bow - and taken to hospital, but not before giving Chuck a code phrase for an emergency. The team head to Stanford to recover the disk by themselves; hidden in the library there where Chuck still has a copy of The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire on loan. Cornered by Einerson, Chuck calls the names on Flemings list - Stanford CIA recruits, and rallies them with his new code phrase to come to the rescue.
Chuck finds out the truth about Bryce Larkin; how he got Chuck expelled from Stanford so he wouldn't be forced into work for the intelligence agency, citing Chuck as too good-hearted for such work.
Staff and Students[]
- Professor Fleming - Professor and CIA recruiter
- Chuck Bartowski - Expelled after being framed for cheating. Later earned remaining 12 credits due to exemplary field work on behalf of the CIA/NSA earning his degree.
- Bryce Larkin - Recruited by the CIA whilst enrolled
- Jill Roberts - Recruited by Fulcrum whilst enrolled
- Allan Watterman - Chuck's class mate
- Drew - Roark Industries HR
- Librarian - A vigilant keeper of Stanford's stacks.