When Tessier-Lavigne became president, before the misconduct allegations threw the university into turmoil under a nationwide spotlight, Donald Trump was a long-shot candidate for America’s highest office, and Stanford operated in a much smoother world, said Stanford Law professor Henry Greely, who said it made sense to appoint someone from within the university.

“We at Stanford have been and are going through a lot in the last few years,” Greely said. “It would have been a mistake to hire someone who would’ve needed a year or two to get up to speed on the place.”