"He's broadly intelligent. He has so much intellectual and physical energy that it's overwhelming," she said. "You might have to meet him to understand his passion for Stanford."

According to Torres, "the discipline of the president doesn't determine the direction of the university."

"We searched for an individual," she said. "John Hennessy has the capacity to make the university strong in all areas."

"He understands technology, and that's important....[But] he wasn't picked because of his computer science and engineering background."

Stanford student body president Mike Levin also said while Hennessy will bring a new focus to technology, he also has the ability to unite different people and academic areas.

"He's someone who isn't myopic and just focused on computer science," Levin said.

Hennessy's selection, Levin said, speaks to "what this university is all about," especially because Stanford's Silicon Valley location has placed it on the forefront of the technology boom.

Levin also praised Hennessy for his record of listening to students.