加州理工院长98任职演说

加州理工院长98任职演说

加州理工院长98任职演说

inauguraladdre

dr.davidbaltimore

march9,1998

representativesofacademia,electedofficials,chairmanmooreand

othermembersoftheboardoftrustees,formerpresidentsof

caltech,alumni,aociates,membersofthefaculty,students,

staff--includingallofthejetpropulsionlaboratorypersoel

attendingelectronically--formertraineesfrommyover30yearsin

research,friendsandmembersofthisgreatcommunity,ithankyou

allsomuchforbeingheretoday.

universitiesareenduringititutio.theygotogreateffortsto

markthetraitiooftheirleadershipwiththehonoredand

historicritualofaninauguration.butthetruthisthatthey

changeslowly,andnewchiefadministratorsdonotalterthat

measuredpace.thus,thisoverwhelmingevent,markingsuchadeep

changeinmylife,marksbutaslightdeflectionintheestablished

trajectoryofthisgreatititution.mydeepestgoalaspresident

istomaintaintheeenceofcaltechwhilehelpingitadapttoa

changingworld.

iwanttobeginthisaddrebythankingallofthemembersofthe

caltechcommunityforthewarmwelcomethataliceandihave

received.youhavehelpedapairofinveterateeasternersbecome

membersoftwouniquesocieties,thesocietyofcaltechandthe

societyofpasadena.thesearehistoriccommunitieswithdeepand

wonderfulvalues,andwearesogladtohavejoinedthem.

asanoutsiderhere,i’veentthelastfivemonthslearningas

muchasicanaboutcaltech.iwantedtocomprehendtheititution

wellenoughtobeabletohelpitsolvetheinevitableproblems

thatiknowwillarise.butmoreimportantly,iwantedtodevelopa

perectiveoncaltechthatwouldallowmetochoosethekey

elementsonwhichtoworkwiththefaculty--toestablish

priorities.

whatifoundisamostremarkableititution.thedepthof

scholarship,therigoroftraining,thecommitmenttothehighest

idealsofpersonalbehaviormakecaltechaveryecialplace.it

managestocoveranextraordinaryrangeofscientificandtechnical

areaswithaminimalfaculty.ithasprovidedsomanynew

excitementsforonetrainedinbiologythatithasbeenacontinual

feastforme,andiknowthat therearemanymorefinemeals

awaitingme.itisanititutionthatseeminglylacksacrisis,

allowingmetheluxuryofalongperiodofcontemplation.forthis

reite,iowemuchtotheseitivestewardshipofmypredeceor

tomeverhart.istandinaweofcaltech’spantheonwhobuiltthis

rareititution:everhart,goldberger,brown,dubridge,millikan,

noyes,andhale.whatanacttohavetofollow.

asihavegatheredknowledgeaboutcaltech,questiohaveoccurred

tomewhoseawerscanprovideperectiveforsettingpriorities.

thatisthepositioni’minnow--manyquestio,fewawers.thus,

ithoughtiwouldframethisaddrearoundthequestio.itisan

openinvitationtothemanycotituenciesonthecampusto

participateinadialogue--theboardoftrustees,faculty,

administrators,students,staff,alumni,andthevariousfriendsof

caltechwhoprovidesuort.thus,iwillinthistalkposea

numberofquestio,explainwhyiraisethem,anddrawoutsomeof

theirimplicatio.

thefirstofmyquestioiswhethercaltechistrulyimmunefrom

thewindsblowingthroughamericanacademiclife.iraisethis

becausethelastdecadehasbeenastormyoneforacademia,with

manyquestioningtheverybasisofscholarshipinboththe

humanitiesandthesciences.thequestionmightbewhetherby

focusingonscienceandtechnology,caltechhewstoeternaltruths,

orwhethertheself-criticismthattheintellectualworldhas

embracedinthelastdecadeshasilledoverintoourbastionof

rationality.theawerisuectmostwouldgivehereisthat

whiletheculturewarsandthesciencewarshavebeenfuriously

engagedonthestreetsofberkeley,newhaven,cambridge,and

paris,inpasadenatheprogreofsciencecontinuesquietlyand

unabated.notthatwedon’treflectonouractivitiesorevenhave

ourparticipantsinthewarwehaveallofthat.it’sjustthat

wehaveaolutesinwhichwebelieve.wehaveaolutezeroonthe

temperaturescale,weknowthatnothingexceedstheeedoflight.

itisinterestingtocontemplatewhatwouldhaenifour

astronomersmeasuredaredshiftindicatingthatagalaxywas

recedingfromusfasterthantheeedoflight.orifwesomehow

recordedatemperatureofaolutezero,ormadeaperpetualmotion

machine.inthesesituatio,theexperimentwouldreceivethe

deepestscrutinyandonlyintheunlikelycasethatitsurvived

wouldtheorycomeintoquestion.remembercoldfusion.butweare

willingtoquestionouraolutes.ouraolutesarenotso

aolute--theyawaitanexperimentthatcontradictsthem.theyare

tentativeaolutes,andwearecomfortablewiththem,needingno

dailyreminderofthethreatthateachexperimentposestoour

comfort.thatisthecultureofscience,anditisaecial

culturethatwelivewith,weteach,andwebelieveinalmostasa

religion.itisaculturethatisincompreheibletothosewho

havenotmanipulatedtheconceptsofscience.itiulatesusfrom

manyoftheself-doubtsofthelargerintellectualworldandallows

ustomoveforward.

however,weshouldnotbetoocomplacent.majorchangesare

coursingthroughacademia.theyarenottheintellectualchallenges

fromwhichourcultureimmunizesutheyaretechnologic

developmentsandanincreasinglymarket-drivenaroachto

education.wearealreadyreondingtothesenewpreures,

incorporatingtechnologyandlookingcarefullyatourcostsand

price.weareinafavorablepositioneconomicallybecauseofour

relativelylowdependenceontuition.infact,wearealreadyrated

thebestbuyineducation.furthermore,wehaveaecialproduct,

andrightnowtheworldwantstobuyit--alicatioareupsome

20againthisyear.theworldrealizeshowwellweprepareyoung

peopletobescientistsandengineers--thehonorcodeandthesmall

numberofstudentsmakeslearningasharedexperienceofgreat

inteity,whileourlaboratoriesprovidethehands-onexperience

thatistheeenceofscience.however,wecaotbecomplacent;

weneedtorethinkourvaluesandourvaluecontinuallyinthe

contextofotheroortunitiesavailabletostudentsandother

modesofeducation.

letmeturnfromanatractquestiontoaconcreteone."is

caltechmakingasufficientcontributiontotheeconomiclifeof

americaandeeciallyofpasadena?"yearsago,caltechwasthe

scientificandtechnologicenginethatdrovethedevelopmentofthe

aeronauticsindustryinsoutherncalifornia.thereismuchnew

energyincaltechthatcouldrepeatthissucce.theoortunity

levelisparticularlyhighatjpl,whereneceitybreedsinvention

onamonumentalscale.wehavebeguntoreleaseourenergyof

iovationtobenefitthelocalcommunityandthecountry,but

thereismuchmorewecoulddo.whathaenedinaeronauticscould

haenagaininchemistry,biology,computersoftware,electronics,

andotherfields,ifweprovidetherightcatalysis.whyhave

stanfordandmitandevenucsdbecomeenginesofeconomicgrowth

andcaltech,surelyasfecund,livesinacitywithminimal

high-techinfluence?thepoliticsofpasadenaarecertainlyan

iue,butcouldn’tcaltechhavemoreimpactifitcommitteditself

tothisgoal?

anotherofmyquestioisoneihaveraisedpubliclyalready,"are

weactivelyenoughengagedinpromotingdiversityonthecampus?"i

phrasethisasaquestion,butihavemadeitplainthati

personallybelievethatacampusthatbettermirrorsthedemography

ofamericaisdesirable.

increaseddiversityhasthreebenefits.first,itbringsthe

particularvaluesofacaltecheducationtoapartoftheamerican

publicthattoorarelyhassuchanadvantage.second,itaures

thatotherstudentsatcaltechdevelopanareciationofthe

varietyofculturesthatmakeupamerica,betterpreparingthemfor

anactiveroleinamericanlife.third,througheducatingawider

mixofstudents,wecontributetothestabilityandeffectivene

ofourdemocraticsociety.iwouldremindyouthatafrican

america,latinos,andamericanindiaaccountforonethirdof

thechildrenborninamericatoday.meanwhile,thereisanongoing

backlashagaitaffirmativeactionthatisreadingthroughthe

nation.minoritygraduatesinengineeringhaveincreasedfromafew

hundredperyearintheearly’70sto6,000peryeartoday.that’s

agreatachievement,butitisstillfarfromparity,and

improvementwillrequirecontinuedefforts.

anotheraectofthequestionofdiversityistheslowincreasein

thefractionofwomenatcaltech.whatdoweneedtodoto

acceleratethattrend?themandateisthere:inthestudentlife

survey,bothmenandwomenatcaltechwantedahigherfractionof

womenstudentsoncampus.

caltechhasforyearsrecognizedtheneedtofocusoniuesof

diversityandhasmadegreatstrides.however,itisanunfinished

agenda,andadifficultone--onlythoughtfulanalysisandcommitted

effortonthepartoftheentirecampuswillmakeithaen.

caltech’ssmallstudentbodymeathattuitionisasmallpartof

ourtotalincome.furthermore,wealreadygivefinancialaidto

some70percentofourstudents.therefore,weareina

particularlygoodpositiontouseourfinancialresourcestoshape

ourstudentbody.also,weneedtorememberthatfinancialmatters

areonlyapartoftheeduation:wealsomustaskourselveswhether

thecampusiswelcoming,stimulatingandsuortivetoadiverse

studentbody.

inpaingireferredtocaltechasasmallschool,andthatis

certainlytheself-imageofthiscampus.however,interesting

thingsemergewhenyouask,"inwhatseeiscaltechasmall

school?"

therearemanymantrasecifictothiscampusbutnoneisas

pervasiveasthestatement,"caltechisasmallschoolandwantsto

staysmall."fromthatshorttheoremmanycorollariesaredrawn.it

canbecomeanargumentfornottakingnewdirectio,fornot

hiringmorefaculty,fornotaddingtothestudentbody,forliving

withale-than-criticalmaoftalentinmanyareasofscience

andengineering.allofthistomaintainthewonderfulandvery

realvaluesofsmallne--collegiality,encouragementof

interdisciplinaryefforts,focusofactivities,erit.however,in

reality,caltechisactuallysmallonlyinitsnumbersofstudents

andfaculty.ifyoucomparecaltechtootherresearch-inteive

schools,ithasthehighestratioofacetofacultyorfederal

suorttofacultyorprobablyanyothermeasureoftheamountof

sciencedoneperfacultymember.becauseofthehugeoff-campus

facilitiesrunbycaltech,theenormousplantonthecampus,the

manytalentedmembersofthestaffwhoarewhollyinvolvedin

research,andthepostdoctoralfellows,caltechisalotbigger

thanitmightseem.anditisgrowing.undertomeverhart,there

wereeightbuildingsputupthatincreasedthesquarefootageon

campusby20percent,whilethebudgetincreasedbyareal32

percent.duringthesametime,thefacultyincreasedby6percent,

butactuallyitwasstillatalowerlevelthanatanearlierpeak.

anotheraectofcaltech’ssizeisjpl.ithasabudgetalmost

fourtimesthatofcaltechandisgrowing.

caltechisnotreallysmall,itisjustbalanceddifferentlyfrom

otherschools.wekeepourfacultyandundergraduatestudentbody

smallandreapthatharvest.butmeanwhileweallowtheratioof

ouractivitiestoourfacultytogrowcontinually.ithinkweneed

toquestionourselvesabouttheimplicatioofthisgrowth.arewe

maintainingsufficientcontroloverourgrowth?isitaffectingthe

lifeofthecampus?howcanwesafeguardthevaluesofsmallne?

letmeturntothedirectionofthestudents.hereihavewondered,

"doescaltechsufficientlydevelopthoseaectsofthelivesof

its20-year-oldundergraduatesthatwillallowthemtobecome

thoughtful,balanced,productivemembersofsociety?"itisa

questionthatiaskasivisitthehousesandmeetwithstudent

leaders.itisaquestionthatihearfromalumni,manyofwhom

seemtofeelthattheyenduredtheirundergraduatedaysratherthan

enjoyingthem.itisadeepquestionaboutvaluesystems.each

caltechprofeorfeelsthathisorherareaofteachingis

criticallyimportanttothedevelopmentofstudentsandthat

leavingoutanyofthegloryofthefieldisacrime.forthe

studentsitbecomesalifeoftryingtokeepupacademicallywith

littletimeforpersonaldevelopment.weencourageorts,andhave

greatfacilities.butwedolethanotherschools,evensmall

ones,toencouragethecreativeartsasextracurricularactivities.

thecaltecheducationconcentratesontheproductsofrational

thought.weskimpontheotheraectsofsociety,oneslikeart

andliteraturewheretheemotionalandpersonalcontentishigher.

wemightseemtooverlookthoseelements,butthat’snotreallythe

meagewearesending,becausethat’snotthefacultyihavecome

toknow.wearecollectorsofart,devoteesofmusic,readersof

literature.manyofuscoultoutsidecaltechandunderstandthe

multiplestraithatcontributetomodernlife.maybewecoulddo

moretobringthatunderstandingtoourstudents.itisnotan

iueofteachingmoreartorliterature.myexperiencehasbeen

thatyoudonotlearnabouttheroleofartorliteraturein

claesbecausetheclaroomisintriicallyananalytic

framework--youlearnhowtolookatart,howtolistentomusic,

howtounderstandthestructureandhistoryofliterature.butthe

realreasonforthearts,asareflectionofthecomplexityoflife

withitsintricatemixtureofrationality,paion,andhistory,is

nottaughtbutratherlearnedbyexperienceintheworld--often

throughinteeinteractiowithothers.mightthecaltech

undergraduateexperience,aswonderfulasitis,improvewithmore

timeandoortunityforthestudentstogrowashumanbeings?i

needtohearmorefromthevariouscotituenciesonthecampus

aboutthisiue.thealumnicanbeparticularlyhelpfulhere.

turningtotheresearchsideofcaltech,ihaveasked,"howcanwe

justifyouractivitiesinaworldthatisbecomingincreasingly

materialistic?"caltechisagreatundergraduatecollegeanda

superbgraduateschool,butthelargestpartofitsactivitiesis

focusedonresearch.andeventhoughwehaveanengineeringand

aliedsciencedivision,mostoftheresearchisatthemostbasic

endoftheectrum.ourbigitruments,likepalomar,keckand

ligo,areallattemptstoawerverybasicquestio,liketheage

oftheuniverseoritsverynature.jplismorepractically

orientedtowardsthemechanicsofexploringace,butits

justificationisacescience,aweringquestiolikewhether

lifeeverevolvedindependentlyofthatonearth.afewyearsago,

purescienceseemedunderverystrongattack,andthecancellation

ofthesuperconductingsupercolliderseemedtheproofthatamerica

wasnolongerwillingtosuortbasicscience.remarkably,the

toneofwashingtonhaschangedrecently,andcongremenarevying

forwhocanpromisemoretothenationalsciencefoundation,the

nationalititutesofhealth,andotheragencies.althoughthe

overallnasabudgetisbeingreduced,acescienceremaistrong.

americahascertainlybecomemorematerialistic:morestudentsare

goingintobusine,admiiontolawschoolsisverycompetitive,

andscienceandevenengineeringarenotdrawinginterestamong

youngamericathewaytheydidinthedecadesfollowingworldwar

ii.however,aswebecomearicherandmorepowerfulnation,the

importanceofscienceasthedriverofcommerceandthegenerator

ofgoodhealthhasbecomeincreasinglyevident,andthusscienceis

receivingurecedentedsuort.

whiletakingadvantageofthegovernment’snewlyfoundinterestin

science,weneedtorememberandtoreaertthevaluesthathave

drivenmostofusintoscience.itistherushofdiscovery,the

excitementofbeingthefirsttouncoveranewsecretofnature,

thesatisfactionofseeingmeycomplexityresolveintoelegant

simplicitythatdrivesmostoftheresearchactivityonthis

campus.luckily,basicsciencefeedstheneedsofindustry,

justifyingitssuort.butitservesahigherfunction,thatof

demystifyingtheworld,providinganorderlyunderstandingof

naturalprocees.whentimemagazinefeaturesascientificstory

onitscover,itsnewtandsalessoar.scienceservestheneedof

peopletounderstandtheworldaroundthem,andthatunderstanding

isoneofourfinestproducts.

althoughscienceisdoingwellnowandhasgreatpublicsuort,

therearemajoriuestobefaced.congremencansuortscience

todaybecauseoftheextraordinarystrengthoftheeconomyandthe

poibilityofawindfallfromthetobaccoindustry.thatcouldbe

ephemeral.also,totakeadvantageoftheavailablefederalfunds,

weneedtomakemajorinvestmentsinthecampusinace,

facilities,andpeople.thus,ourdependenceonprivate

philanthropyremaiasgreatasever.weareluckythatcaltech

hassomanyfinefriendswhoareascommittedasthefacultyto

caltech’sgreatne.

ihavesaidalotaboutwhatihavelearnedaboutcaltech,but

littleaboutmyself.letmeendonamorepersonalnote.ideeply

believeinthepower,beauty,andcomfortthatcomesfroma

rationaloutlookontheworld.inmyyoungeryears,ihankered

afteraworldinwhichrationalitywouldconqueremotionandbring

peace.itwasreinforcedinmyearlyschooling--rememberthatiwas

inschoolinthepost-worldwariiera,whenthecountrywasstill

baskinginthegloryofhavingdefeatedtheirrationalityofthe

nazisandwhenthescienceandtechnologythathadwonthewarfor

uswereseenasthekeytothefuture.eventhephilosophythat

thenoosedamerica’s,thecommunistphilosophy,seemedtocome

fromarationalanalysisofsocietyandseemedahumanealternative

toamerica’scapitalistsociety,whichwassohardonthosewho

wereunabletocopewithitsdemands.

whenyougrowupwithaworldviewlikethat,thereisacentral

aectofsocietythatmakesnosee:politics.foryears,i

simplycouldnotcomprehendwhatthewordmeant.whenpeoplesaid

thatinmakingdecisio,youneedtocoiderboththerational

elementsofaniueandthepoliticalones,ididnotunderstand

whattheymeant--whywa’trationalityenough?somywholelife

sinceileftmyparents’nesthasbeenaneducationin

irrationality.i’vehadtolearnthatyoucaotdenythepaio

ofpeople,youmustaccommodatethem;thatyoucaotdenyhistory,

youmustaccommodateit.ithinkthisisaperectivethatall

scientistswhoarewillingtoworkwithinthelargersocietyhave

tolearn,anditiswhatsometimeslimitstheeffectiveneof

scientistswhentheydoventureoutsideoftheirlaboratoriesand

ititutio.

inthefivemonthsthatihavebeenhere,andintheprecedingfive

monthswheniwasinthewings,ihavecometolovecaltech.its

valuesareonesinwhichideeplybelieve:honesty,clearthinking,

hardwork,astrivingforeleganceandnovelty.caltechdoesthis

asacommunity,nottheloose-knitsetofempiresfoundelsewhere.

thecommunityisarichone,includinghumanities,socialsciences,

mathematicsandengineering,aswellastheremarkablebasic

sciences.itisarareoneinthedegreeofexcellenceand

commitmentfoundatalllevels,fromthefacultytothosewho

maintainthebeautifulgrounds.partofthiscommunityisthejet

propulsionlaboratory,auniqueorganizationthataddsaecial

dimeiontotheactivitiesofcaltech.itisanhonorandthe

deepestofreoibilitiestoacceptthehelmofthisititution.

thankyousomuchformakingmyfamilyapartofyours.letusmove

everforward,surmountingotacles,increasingourreachandour

influence,holdingtoourvaluesandkeepingcaltechthejewelof

academia.