Like other institutions that have stood the test of time, Princeton can occasionally be Ptolemaic in thinking of itself as the center of the universe. As we witness the birth of the year 2000, however, we are reminded once again that Princeton is only one planet in a much larger galaxy, constantly changing and being changed over time by forces, many of which are beyond its control. Our continued distinction and social relevance, therefore, depend in part on our ongoing ability to adapt and change.
No aspect of education is exempt from social change, and so Princeton, like all other institutions of continuing social relevance, will have to continue to exhibit in the future, as we have already through large parts of our history, the willingness to change when change is necessary in order to remain in the nation's service and in the service of all nations.
The modern history of higher education vividly demonstrates that if an institution does not evolve with changing times, it cannot retain either its distinction or its social relevance. While strengthening its distinctive emphasis on scholarship and excellence in undergraduate and graduate education, Princeton also needs to continue to expand into new intellectual fields, become more accessible to a broad range of students from all economic and cultural backgrounds, and reach out in new ways to new groups of learners, perhaps through the use of new telecommunication technologies. The obligation of each generation is to stand on the shoulders of earlier generations both to avoid previous failures and to confront as thoughtfully as it can the challenges and opportunities of its particular age and circumstances.
For more than a quarter of this past millennium, Princeton has sought to serve society through what one of Princeton's trustees once described as "uncommon individuals and important ideas." At the end of last century, Princeton encapsulated this commitment in the phrase, "Princeton in the nation's service." Recently we extended our aspiration to include not only "the nation's service," but "the service of all nations."
In preparation for the coming era, the trustees are considering a number of longterm strategic issues that focus on the broader social environment we serve, on our aspirations as a university and on the best possible uses of our resources to achieve these ends. As has already been reported, one of the recommendations the trustees are considering is a 10-percent increase in the size of the undergraduate student body.
The central question for the trustees is whether such a change would enhance the quality of the overall educational experience at Princeton and/or enable the University to make more effective use of its extraordinary educational resources. These seem to me the right questions. Institutions that aspire to leadership must regularly ask not only "How are we doing?" but "How can we do better?"
At last June's Commencement, I suggested that one recurring theme of this past millennium is the extent to which breakthroughs in science and technology have frequently outpaced the development of social, moral and cultural capacities to deal with their consequences. Our spectacular progress in scientific understanding has not been accompanied by a sufficiently improved understanding of what is just, fair and good. We have been more inventive in developing new technologies than in finding ways to live together more peacefully, to share our resources more equitably or to define values that enable people of all cultures to treat each other with understanding and dignity. In some respects, we have paid less attention to where we are heading than to the speed with which we are moving.
One of my hopes for the new millennium is that we will find better ways for Princeton – and Princetonians everywhere – to contribute not only to the further discovery of knowledge and understanding, but to the development of new ideas and approaches that will allow us, in this nation and all nations, to build better communities and a more humane society, to meet those human needs and aspirations we all share, and to acknowledge that to fully realize our own humanity we must work also to fulfill the needs of people everywhere.
(President Shapiro is the University's 18th president, a post he has held since 1988)
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