The Jefferson Literary and Debating Society hosted a lecture by President John T. Casteen, III last night, during which he discussed the past, present and future of the University.
The lecture covered the University's shortcomings in developing different disciplines, adherence to tradition and changeover from an institution focused on regional issues to one focused on global issues. The talk was originally meant to be a series of three or four lectures that would allow Casteen to wrap up his term with some final words as the University transitions to the presidency of Teresa A. Sullivan.
Casteen discussed Jefferson's accomplishments as an artist, musician and scientist - a founder who believed in mastering science and the arts as "useful" and "the stuff of freedom." He noted that, given Jefferson's background, it is ironic that the University has experienced failures in both the scientific and artistic curricula.
Casteen discussed three reasons for the University's shortcomings: the history of the University as an all-male school, the heavy dependence that the arts and sciences have on facilities and the University's historical inability to globalize.
The University initially did not anticipate how the end of single-sex education would affect itself, and this oversight led to a lag in the development of the arts, Casteen said. By contrast, Casteen said, institutions such as Harvard University and Princeton University accommodated for the incorporation of women and understood that the potential doubling of class sizes would be an opportunity to expand their curriculum, develop more intensive programs and increase enrollment.
"Change is the essence of universities," Casteen said, "and change involves constantly remixing the population."
Additionally, the University had been traditionally apprehensive about constructing large buildings, which has hindered scientific research, he said.
"We were really late catching on to what was required for the empirical sciences," Casteen said, adding that the University was behind in building for the performing arts, as well.
It is only now that the University is beginning to build performance arts buildings, such as the music hall financed by the marching band, and the University will announce the construction of a building for the dance department this fall, Casteen said.
The construction of the dance department building, he said, was the result of student activism, adding that student demand drives the University's curriculum.
In addition to failures of the past, Casteen discussed how tradition has played a role in University life.
Universities in general pride themselves on tradition, even though their greatest achievements come from innovations, Casteen said. Thus, though traditions exist at the University, he said, new developments are essential as well.
"Tradition is a living thing and it's perpetually subject to change," he said, adding that Jefferson would not have wanted his University known as a place of tradition, but rather, as one of innovation and change.
To protect innovation, Casteen said, the University should oppose curricula that are bound up in prior times and limit experiential learning. Support for programs such as computer-adaptive learning, he said, will allow students success beyond the traditional scope of learning. Casteen also advocated for the use of Kaplan software, which enables students to participate in virtual lectures and gives them a mobility characteristic of the modern-day technology.
Students should be out in the community, and the University should continue to build valuable partnerships with corporations and community activist organizations, he said.\n"The University needs to recognize that individual talent doesn't follow set rails towards the future," he added.
Concerning globalization, Casteen noted that, during the past 15 years, the proportion of students studying abroad has increased from 8 to 35 percent, and the number of international students has increased from 500 to 2,000 since he became president.
The interest in cultures outside of their own allows students to understand the world they intend to take on, he said. A greater emphasis on diverse spoken and written languages, as well as an international understanding of business conduct, must be integrated into the University, he said.
Society Vice President Rick Eberstadt commented on Casteen's message that students drive change, noting that he believes many students at the meeting could well be the people to begin to affect that change.
Society President Tyler Criste said that when the Society plans speakers, it looks for a collision of different viewpoints and an ability to see things from multiple perspectives.
Although Criste did not consider Casteen an aggressive choice, he thought it was interesting that the outgoing president focused on the University's shortcomings rather than what it has achieved.\nBy focusing on the University's weaknesses, Criste said, Casteen was posing a "challenge to the University to try and approach these issues over the next generation"
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