University of Virginia Library

Riesman Cites Constant Need
For Education Reevaluation

By KATHY NUNNELEY

Higher education "should offer young
people the chance to stretch themselves
to the limit" offering the "intellectual
equivalent of the Outward Bound
Program," Harvard Social Science Prof.
David Riesman said Tuesday night.

Mr. Riesman, co-author of The
Academic Revolution, spoke on
"Cultural Conflict in the University" to a
full house in Wilson Hall auditorium.

The lecture focused on the future of
higher education, particularly the
necessity of diversification in academic
studies.

Universities Broaden Horizons

The small, highly structured
universities are being forced to loosen
strict limitations and broaden academic
horizons because of the diversification,
trend, and are beginning to offer their
students the necessary background for
more meaningful lives, Mr. Riesman said.

Mr. Riesman has practiced law, taught
law at Harvard, studied psychoanalysis
with Erich Fromm and Harry S. Sullivan,
and is now a social scientist. He has
worked with the Dutch, German, and
French Departments of Higher
Education.

He spoke of foreign educators' interest
in the "incredible diversity" of American
academic systems. As Human
Development Foundation vice-president,
Mr. Riesman assists in Peace Corps
advising and research.

Education Is 'Secular Religion'

He thinks that education is "secular
religion" requiring constant reevaluation
to maintain the viability necessary for
proper relativity to the world.

He criticized institutions which strive
for athletic success, hoping that high
academic standards will automatically
follow, pointing to the University of
Maryland as an example.

Mr. Riesman said neighboring girls'
schools also require more diversity. The
schools' proximity to the University and

its broadening aspects accentuate this
need, he added.

After three days of acquainting
himself with the University and meeting
with many students and faculty members,
Mr. Riesman considered the University's
high out-of-state student percentage "one
of the greatest strengths of the University
because it provides exposure to a wide
and diverse range of people and their
ideas."

Mr. Riesman recognized the
University's recent coeducation as a
positive move towards achieving diversity.

Mr. Riesman ended his lecture
encouraging total educational
commitment with courage to question
and search.