After making the rounds on
Capitol Hill recently for support of a Union initiative, I walked to the
Jefferson Memorial. Jefferson is one of my heroes, and I always enjoy the
beauty of the memorial.
On this visit, I was struck by Jefferson's observation, chiseled into the marble, that “…laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As
that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of
circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times.”
In keeping pace with the times, we need to recognize that there are limitations as to what we can do, and I think it is important to understand those limitations as Union embarks on several changes.
Perhaps the most basic characteristic to recognize is that we are a small college. I happen to think smallness is a virtue because it encourages the kind of close student and faculty interaction that has long been a hallmark of our liberal education. But, at times, smallness can be limiting. It limits the range of academic programs that we can offer, for example, and it means that we cannot be everything that different constituencies might want us to be. In other words, we cannot be all things to all people, since we face practical and very real constraints as we work to make Union even stronger.
I think it is necessary to make this point because recent correspondence and
comments from some alumni and friends suggest dismay at some of our recent
actions. Not only have I no problem with contrary opinions, I am delighted when alumni have a strong interest in their college, an interest that often prompts them to examine its affairs with special watchfulness and to sound an alarm when they feel the institution is on a wrong course.
The key question, of course, is what is the proper course. One need not be a
Jeffersonian to recognize that there cannot be any attempt to preserve the
College as it was at any arbitrarily-selected time. Frankly, such an effort
would be foolish, if only because no one could agree on the moment to be
preserved. For example, we have talked of internationalism. However, in the
1930s, internationalism might have been an exchange student or two; by the
1960s, thanks to Fred Klemm, it meant sending significant numbers of students
abroad for the first time; and today, it means seventy percent of a class
studying on six continents.
I prefer to think that continuous change is itself the one permanent
characteristic of the College. Only by constantly evolving will we meet our
most basic duty, which is to provide the best possible environment for
learning. Indeed, I think that only by doing so does the College preserve the
value of the diplomas it has already granted. Certainly, when those entrusted
with this magnificent institution follow our best judgment in preparing the College for its present and future role, we run the risk of being wrong. Yet, when informed judgment points definitely to a particular course, we must have the courage to act, however that course diverges from the paths of the past. To do otherwise endangers the future health of the College, and there is no more certain way of defaulting on the obligation owed to those who have gone before – the obligation to improve and prosper – than to do nothing.
What, then, is our course? Our course is to produce graduates who have the broadest possible education, who recognize their own strengths and weaknesses, and who eagerly engage in life-long learning for the betterment of themselves and the society of which they are a part. To do that, we must continually strive to create an academic program that challenges students to think, to question ideas
critically, and to come to their own conclusions. And that, I believe, means
continually challenging our own assumptions about Union and by seeking to make the College a community characterized by energy, a range of interests, a taste for innovation, and a respect for serious effort.
Am I implying that those characteristics are not part of the Union fabric? Of course not. Union has an enviable reputation based solidly on the intellectual and personal
achievements of our students and faculty.
Am I suggesting that we must continue to reexamine what we do so that Union will continue to bring out the best in the people here? Yes, most definitely yes. Our students face a complex and rapidly-changing world; it is our duty to provide the best opportunities we can for them to acquire the knowledge, intellectual skills, and habits of mind they will need to succeed. And that cannot be done by remaining ever under the same regimen. To do so, in the words of Thomas Jefferson carved on the wall of his memorial, would be like requiring “a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy.”