NEW YORK -- The Natural Resources Defense Council today applauded Stanford University for supporting an important shareholder resolution targeting ExxonMobil's position on global warming and called on the university to take further steps to publicly separate itself from the oil giant.

"We were very pleased to see Stanford's decision to support the ExxonMobil shareholder resolution directing the company to address its impact on global warming," said NRDC President Frances Beinecke.

"This should only be Stanford's first step in publicly separating the university from ExxonMobil's irresponsible stance on global warming," Beinecke said. "This issue is too important and too urgent to allow ExxonMobil to use its partnership with Stanford's Global Climate and Energy Project as an excuse for any further delay of the significant corporate and policy actions that are needed."

Acting on behalf of NRDC's 1.2 million members and activists, Beinecke sent a letter to Stanford University regarding its relationship with ExxonMobil. Click here for the text of the letter.