InauguralAddre
Dr.DavidBaltimore
March9,1998
Representativesofacademia,electedofficials,ChairmanMooreand
othermembersoftheBoardofTrustees,formerPresidentsof
Caltech,alumni,Aociates,membersofthefaculty,students,
staff--includingalloftheJetPropulsionLaboratorypersoel
attendingelectronically--f
ormertraineesfrommyover30yearsin
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,andIknowthattherearemanymorefinemeals
awaitingme.Itisanititutionthatseeminglylacksacrisis,
allowingmetheluxuryofalongperiodofcontemplation.Forthis
reite,Iowemuchtotheseitivestewardshipofmypredeceor
To
www.duowen123.com
(www.duowen123.com)mEverhart.IstandinaweofCaltech'spantheonwhobuiltthis
rareititution:Everhart,Goldberger,Brown,DuBridge,Millikan,
Noyes,andHale.Whatanacttohavetofollow.
AsIhavegatheredknowledgeaboutCaltech,questiohaveoccurred
tomewhoseawerscanprovideperectiveforsettingpriorities.
ThatisthepositionI'minnow--manyquestio,fewawers.Thus,
Ith
oughtIwouldframethisaddrearoundthequestio.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.