Officials plan to name the University's arts buildings expansion the Betsy and John Casteen Arts Grounds, recognizing the contributions of the outgoing president and his wife to the arts.\n"I believe that John Casteen came to see the arts component of an education, and he felt very strongly that the facilities for the arts at this university needed major development," said Larry Goedde, chair of the art department. "He has been very supportive of a number of projects that have been completed for the arts."
In the future, more facilities for the fine and performing arts will be built as part of the Arts Grounds Project, which aims to enhance the arts scene at the University. The project was launched in 1998 and spearheaded by Casteen himself, according to a University press release.
During the early 1990s, the University's arts departments suffered from insufficient funding, and as a result, many of the planned projects are not yet completed or even have begun.\n"[The Arts Grounds] will provide a setting for performances and gatherings ... for the entire University to participate and partake in all the different art forms," said Elizabeth Hutton Turner, vice provost for the arts. "We are very excited about what the future will bring."
Casteen said he is both honored by the University's decision and hopeful for the future of the arts at the University.
"My wife and I feel very good about this. We are grateful and surprised and very hopeful about what this may mean for the University in the future, and especially for our arts departments and the School of Architecture," Casteen stated in an e-mail.
Casteen's contributions to the arts at the University include the addition and renovation of several new facilities, including Ruffin Hall, an expansion of Campbell Hall and renovations to Fayerweather Hall and the University Art Museum.
Similarly, Betsy Casteen has made efforts to work with University architects to ensure cohesion between new or restored buildings and the University's sense of tradition.
"Jefferson would probably make the judgment that his University has not yet become what he had in mind if he came even today and looked at how we support or provide for the fine and performing arts," Casteen said.
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