University of Virginia Library

In Holiday

Magazine Writer Acclaims University

(Editor's note: This article, "Mr.
Jefferson's University," is excerpted
from Fortune Magazine, copy-
1961, courtesy of the Curtis
Publishing Company.)

By Chester Goolrick

A mile or so of distance, a few
minutes' walk for an energetic
man-and a gulf of nearly a century
and a half- between the
University of Virginia's new experimental
atomic reactor and
Thomas Jefferson's Rotunda, symbol
of the University's cultural
heritage. From the steps of the
domed Rotunda, a long, shaded
lawn flanked by classic colonnades
sweeps toward a vista of the unchanging
Blue Ridge Mountains
circling Charlottesville. The reactor,
going about its work secretly,
is housed in a utilitarian structure
tucked in a corner the casual
visitor is not likely to come across.
The Rotunda and the reactor stand
at opposite poles-one a reminder
of the 18th century enlightenment,
the other a 20th century reality
undreamed of even by Jefferson.
Yet both, perhaps, equally characterize
the University which Jefferson
founded in 1809, the
crowning achievement of his long
career.

Still Bears Stamp

At the University they speak of
its founder as "Mr. Jefferson,"
pretentiously if you like, but still
honestly, as if he were sitting on
the porch of Monticello overlooking
Charlottesville and could drop
down any moment for an inspection
tour of the "academical village"
he conceived, designed, and built
in the closing days of life...
And though the place has come a
long way, it still bears Mr. Jefferson's
personal stamp everywhere.

The outward signs of the Jeffersonian
tradition can be deceptive.
The serenity and elegance of
the building and grounds produce
an atmosphere easily mistaken for
Southern indolence; an impression
that the University is a languid
holdover from the days before
Appomattox, a pleasant but hardly
stimulating haven where seions of
the First Families of Virginia pass
four agreeable years to acquire the
one diploma that certifies them as
gentlemen.

Charged With Energy

The unhurried outlook seems to
be one thing; the University itself
another, as charged with energy
as its reactor. At last it is
becoming what Mr. Jefferson wanted
it to be-the capstone of the
state's system of education, a wellspring
of diversified learning and
the source of stimulating intellectual
inquiry...

But behind all the latter-day
vitality, pervading it as mint does
a julep, is the Jeffersonian tradition,
and definitions of what that is
depends on to whom you are talking,
and when. On the one hand
it is the student honor system;
on the other, as someone has put
it, "the God-given right to go to
hell in your own way." It is abstract
and material-the faculty's
jealous guardianship of its
academic and intellectual freedom,
and the buildings which constitute
Mr. Jefferson's physical legacy...

Near-Perfect System

The honor system is one of the
glories of the University. Reaching
back at least as far as the Civil
War, it is based on the development
of an unwritten gentleman's
agreement that life is a good deal
easier for everybody when lying,
stealing, and cheating are simply
not countenanced. The system
works to near-perfection...

This subtle accent of the Virginia
version of what simply isn't
done and what is, is likely a part of
the Jeffersonian tradition. It has a
great deal to do with setting the
general tone of the University. Virginia
students wear coats and ties
to classes and about the Grounds;
they always have and always will...

But what about this tradition,
as the University shifts into high
gear to meet the demands of the
new age? What about the coats
and ties, the quiet restraint, and
the honor system...?

Sheer growth alone will bring
about some changes, just as will
changing social patterns. Those
who love the old place hope they
will not be cataclysmic.