The University discontinued the Stanford Living Education (SLED) program due to recent budget cuts, laying off its four-person staff in late July, according to a statement by University spokesperson Luisa Rapport.

The cuts, announced by University president Jonathan Levin '94 on June 26, mandated budgetary reductions of up to 15% and layoffs in several departments. University administration told Vaden Health Services, which housed SLED, to "cut programs, not people," according to Diane Friedlaender, the former associate director of SLED and leader of the Leadership, Community Building and Social Change (LEAD) program.

"I don't know exactly what that means, because when you cut programs, you do cut people," Friedlaender said. "But what I can imagine, reading between the lines, is they didn't want a whole bunch of programs crippled by low staffing, so they decided it would be better to cut entire programs."

While in operation, the SLED program provided courses and experiences that supported students' well-being, with a focus on mindfulness, leadership and personal growth.

SLED was made up of three main branches: Wellness Education, LEAD and LifeWorks. Wellness Education provided practical courses on topics such as mindfulness, financial literacy and nutrition. LEAD helped students build leadership skills rooted in empathy, purpose and community impact. LifeWorks encouraged self-reflection and personal growth.

Vice Provost of Student Affairs (VPSA) Michele Rasmussen expressed optimism about maintaining the "core functions" of Stanford Student Affairs despite budget cuts in a June 26 message to faculty and staff, according to Gigi Otálvaro Ph.D. '18, the former associate director of SLED

"Apparently, supporting student mental health and well-being through the educational experiences SLED offers is not considered a priority by Stanford," Otálvaro said.

On July 28, SLED staff received emails inviting them to individual meetings with Vaden Health Services leadership. At the meetings, each member was notified of the program's suspension and their dismissal.

"Soon, I heard that every team member got the same email, so we kind of knew," Mardi Bijleveld, a former SLED administrative associate and lecturer, said. "Half an hour before my own meeting that next day, I got a text from my colleague Diane that said, 'It's over. No more SLED.'"

Friedlaender said that the scale of the cuts took SLED staff by surprise. Last year, SLED served over 1,000 students, offering more than 60 classes taught by over 38 instructors, according to Friedlaender.

"If you hear 15% cut, you don't think your entire program is gonna get cut," Friedlaender said. "It did come as quite a shock to us."

Bijleveld said that cutting SLED was probably seen as an easy decision, with only four employees to lay off. However, she says that the office's impact on students was immense.

"[It] feels like a massive cut with only a little impact on Stanford's budget," she said. "Alas, there must have been reasons to cut this efficient and effective program that ran for over 10 years that were not shared with us."

Rapport said that the University will continue to support students' well being and mental health through CAPS Groups and Workshops, The Office for Religious & Spiritual Life, physical wellbeing classes, The Flourish and the Mental Health Resources website.

However, Sarah Meyer Tapia, former director of SLED and program head of Wellness Education, said that the interactive discourse SLED facilitated made the program uniquely impactful.

"The classroom fosters community and the lecturer creates a space and facilitates the conversations where [the students] discover and then teach all of us," Tapia said.

Friedlaender said that a focus on well-being was central to the program's mission. "At the end of the day, I just want students to feel better about themselves after taking my class," she said.

One of SLED's most popular offerings, LEAD 103: Living on Purpose, asked students to consider questions of meaning in life.

Theo Poling M.A. '24 enrolled in the course after a personal loss and said the experience helped them find grounding.

"I felt completely lost, like so much of what I thought my future would look like had just been washed away," Poling said. "My classmates became almost like a family."

For Alexis Kam M.S. '24, who took the class in her final year, the program offered something she felt was missing from her Stanford education.

"You don't often get that kind of vulnerability in a classroom," Kam said. "But here, we were all trying to figure things out together."

Matthew Smith, professor of german studies and theater and performance studies (TAPS), praised SLED for its emphasis on student well-being.

"What LifeWorks and SLED have done has meant so much to so many Stanford students," Smith said. "For some, it seems to have been truly life-changing, perhaps even life-saving. The contemplative, integrative, mindful aspect of education is so frequently neglected, and SLED's work was a much-needed response -- now more than ever."

At a "gratitude gathering" this August, former instructors signed a banner, wrote reflections and passed notes of gratitude in a circle. In her remarks at the event, Friedlaender said that SLED was "a lot more than just an organization that offers classes -- we created a true sense of community and belonging," said Friedlaender.

Otálvaro said the closure of the SLED program will have dire consequences for the student body. She said a mindfulness class during her time as a Ph.D. student helped her mental health "tremendously."

"It's devastating to know that in a highly stressful, high-performance environment, in which many students suffer from a range of mental health issues, that they will no longer have the support of well-being education and the opportunity to be role models for their peers," she said. "The community at large will suffer as a result."

Despite the closure, Friedlaender said she and other staff are actively exploring ways for SLED to continue in some form, either within Stanford or elsewhere.

"We'd love to stay at Stanford -- we really believe in supporting Stanford students," she said. "But we're also open to taking these courses to other institutions or even retreat centers."

Tapia expressed hope that SLED's courses might eventually be integrated into curricula across the University. "We need business people, astrophysicists, lawyers who are well," she said. "We want these courses to integrate with the curriculum that any student is taking for their major."

For now, students and instructors who found belonging in SLED carry its lessons with them.

"A lot of Stanford teaches you how to do," Kam said. "SLED reminds you how to be."