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InauguralAddress

Dr.DavidBaltimore

March9,1998

Representativesofacademia,electedofficials,ChairmanMooreand

othermembersoftheBoardofTrustees,formerPresidentsof

Caltech,alumni,Associates,membersofthefaculty,students,

staff--includingalloftheJetPropulsionLaboratorypersonnel

attendingelectronically--formertraineesfrommyover30yearsin

research,friendsandmembersofthisgreatcommunity,Ithankyou

allsomuchforbeingheretoday.

Universitiesareenduringinstitutions.Theygotogreateffortsto

markthetransitionsoftheirleadership公務員之家，全國公務員共同天地withthehonoredand

historicritualofaninauguration.Butthetruthisthatthey

changeslowly,andnewchiefadministratorsdonotalterthat

measuredpace.Thus,thisoverwhelmingevent,markingsuchadeep

changeinmylife,marksbutaslightdeflectionintheestablished

trajectoryofthisgreatinstitution.Mydeepestgoalaspresident

istomaintaintheessenceofCaltechwhilehelpingitadapttoa

changingworld.

Iwanttobeginthisaddressbythankingallofthemembersofthe

CaltechcommunityforthewarmwelcomethatAliceandIhave

received.YouhavehelpedapairofinveterateEasternersbecome

membersoftwouniquesocieties,thesocietyofCaltechandthe

societyofPasadena.Thesearehistoriccommunitieswithdeepand

wonderfulvalues,andwearesogladtohavejoinedthem.

Asanoutsiderhere,I''''vespentthelastfivemonthslearningas

muchasIcanaboutCaltech.Iwantedtocomprehendtheinstitution

wellenoughtobeabletohelpitsolvetheinevitableproblems

thatIknowwillarise.Butmoreimportantly,Iwantedtodevelopa

perspectiveonCaltechthatwouldallowmetochoosethekey

elementsonwhichtoworkwiththefaculty--toestablish

priorities.

WhatIfoundisamostremarkableinstitution.Thedepthof

scholarship,therigoroftraining,thecommitmenttothehighest

idealsofpersonalbehaviormakeCaltechaveryspecialplace.It

managestocoveranextraordinaryrangeofscientificandtechnical

areaswithaminimalfaculty.Ithasprovidedsomanynew

excitementsforonetrainedinbiologythatithasbeenacontinual

feastforme,andIknowthattherearemanymorefinemeals

awaitingme.Itisaninstitutionthatseeminglylacksacrisis,

allowingmetheluxuryofalongperiodofcontemplation.Forthis

respite,Iowemuchtothesensitivestewardshipofmypredecessor

TomEverhart.IstandinaweofCaltech''''spantheonwhobuiltthis

rareinstitution:Everhart,Goldberger,Brown,DuBridge,Millikan,

Noyes,andHale.Whatanacttohavetofollow.

AsIhavegatheredknowledgeaboutCaltech,questionshaveoccurred

tomewhoseanswerscanprovideperspectiveforsettingpriorities.

ThatisthepositionI''''minnow--manyquestions,fewanswers.Thus,

IthoughtIwouldframethisaddressaroundthequestions.Itisan

openinvitationtothemanyconstituenciesonthecampusto

participateinadialogue--theBoardofTrustees,faculty,

administrators,students,staff,alumni,andthevariousfriendsof

Caltechwhoprovidesupport.Thus,Iwillinthistalkposea

numberofquestions,explainwhyIraisethem,anddrawoutsomeof

theirimplications.

ThefirstofmyquestionsiswhetherCaltechistrulyimmunefrom

thewindsblowingthroughAmericanacademiclife.Iraisethis

becausethelastdecadehasbeenastormyoneforacademia,with

manyquestioningtheverybasisofscholarshipinboththe

humanitiesandthesciences.Thequestionmightbewhetherby

focusingonscienceandtechnology,Caltechhewstoeternaltruths,

orwhethertheself-criticismthattheintellectualworldhas

embracedinthelastdecadeshasspilledoverintoourbastionof

rationality.TheanswerIsuspectmostwouldgivehereisthat

whiletheculturewarsandthesciencewarshavebeenfuriously

engagedonthestreetsofBerkeley,NewHaven,Cambridge,and

Paris,inPasadenatheprogressofsciencecontinuesquietlyand

unabated.Notthatwedon''''treflectonouractivitiesorevenhave

ourparticipantsinthewars;wehaveallofthat.It''''sjustthat

wehaveabsolutesinwhichwebelieve.Wehaveabsolutezeroonthe

temperaturescale,weknowthatnothingexceedsthespeedoflight.

Itisinterestingtocontemplatewhatwouldhappenifour

astronomersmeasuredaredshiftindicatingthatagalaxywas

recedingfromusfasterthanthespeedoflight.Orifwesomehow

recordedatemperatureofabsolutezero,ormadeaperpetualmotion

machine.Inthesesituations,theexperimentwouldreceivethe

deepestscrutinyandonlyintheunlikelycasethatitsurvived

wouldtheorycomeintoquestion.Remembercoldfusion.Butweare

willingtoquestionourabsolutes.Ourabsolutesarenotso

absolute--theyawaitanexperimentthatcontradictsthem.Theyare

tentativeabsolutes,andwearecomfortablewiththem,needingno

dailyreminderofthethreatthateachexperimentposestoour

comfort.Thatisthecultureofscience,anditisaspecial

culturethatwelivewith,weteach,andwebelieveinalmostasa

religion.Itisaculturethatisincomprehensibletothosewho

havenotmanipulatedtheconceptsofscience.Itinsulatesusfrom

manyoftheself-doubtsofthelargerintellectualworldandallows

ustomoveforward.

However,weshouldnotbetoocomplacent.Majorchangesare

coursingthroughacademia.Theyarenottheintellectualchallenges

fromwhichourcultureimmunizesus;theyaretechnologic

developmentsandanincreasinglymarket-drivenapproachto

education.Wearealreadyrespondingtothesenewpressures,

incorporatingtechnologyandlookingcarefullyatourcostsand

price.Weareinafavorablepositioneconomicallybecauseofour

relativelylowdependenceontuition.Infact,wearealreadyrated

thebestbuyineducation.Furthermore,wehaveaspecialproduct,

andrightnowtheworldwantstobuyit--applicationsareupsome

20%againthisyear.Theworldrealizeshowwellweprepareyoung

peopletobescientistsandengineers--thehonorcodeandthesmall

numberofstudentsmakeslearningasharedexperienceofgreat

intensity,whileourlaboratoriesprovidethehands-onexperience

thatistheessenceofscience.However,wecannotbecomplacent;

weneedtorethinkourvaluesandourvaluecontinuallyinthe

contextofotheropportunitiesavailabletostudentsandother

modesofeducation.

Letmeturnfromanabstractquestiontoaconcreteone."Is

Caltechmakingasufficientcontributiontotheeconomiclifeof

AmericaandespeciallyofPasadena?"Yearsago,Caltechwasthe

scientificandtechnologicenginethatdrovethedevelopmentofthe

aeronauticsindustryinSouthernCalifornia.Thereismuchnew

energyinCaltechthatcouldrepeatthissuccess.Theopportunity

levelisparticularlyhighatJPL,wherenecessitybreedsinvention

onamonumentalscale.Wehavebeguntoreleaseourenergyof

innovationtobenefitthelocalcommunityandthecountry,but

thereismuchmorewecoulddo.Whathappenedinaeronauticscould

happenagaininchemistry,biology,computersoftware,electronics,

andotherfields,ifweprovidetherightcatalysis.Whyhave

StanfordandMITandevenUCSDbecomeenginesofeconomicgrowth

andCaltech,surelyasfecund,livesinacitywithminimal

high-techinfluence?ThepoliticsofPasadenaarecertainlyan

issue,butcouldn''''tCaltechhavemoreimpactifitcommitteditself

tothisgoal?

AnotherofmyquestionsisoneIhaveraisedpubliclyalready,"Are

weactivelyenoughengagedinpromotingdiversityonthecampus?"I

phrasethisasaquestion,butIhavemadeitplainthatI

personallybelievethatacampusthatbettermirrorsthedemography

ofAmericaisdesirable.

Increaseddiversityhasthreebenefits.First,itbringsthe

particularvaluesofaCaltecheducationtoapartoftheAmerican

publicthattoorarelyhassuchanadvantage.Second,itassures

thatotherstudentsatCaltechdevelopanappreciationofthe

varietyofculturesthatmakeupAmerica,betterpreparingthemfor

anactiveroleinAmericanlife.Third,througheducatingawider

mixofstudents,wecontributetothestabilityandeffectiveness

ofourdemocraticsociety.IwouldremindyouthatAfrican

Americans,Latinos,andAmericanIndiansaccountforonethirdof

thechildrenborninAmericatoday.Meanwhile,thereisanongoing

backlashagainstaffirmativeactionthatisspreadingthroughthe

nation.Minoritygraduatesinengineeringhaveincreasedfromafew

hundredperyearintheearly''''70sto6,000peryeartoday.That''''s

agreatachievement,butitisstillfarfromparity,and

improvementwillrequirecontinuedefforts.

Anotheraspectofthequestionofdiversityistheslowincreasein

thefractionofwomenatCaltech.Whatdoweneedtodoto

acceleratethattrend?Themandateisthere:inthestudentlife

survey,bothmenandwomenatCaltechwantedahigherfractionof

womenstudentsoncampus.

Caltechhasforyearsrecognizedtheneedtofocusonissuesof

diversityandhasmadegreatstrides.However,itisanunfinished

agenda,andadifficultone--onlythoughtfulanalysisandcommitted

effortonthepartoftheentirecampuswillmakeithappen.

Caltech''''ssmallstudentbodymeansthattuitionisasmallpartof

ourtotalincome.Furthermore,wealreadygivefinancialaidto

some70percentofourstudents.Therefore,weareina

particularlygoodpositiontouseourfinancialresourcestoshape

ourstudentbody.Also,weneedtorememberthatfinancialmatters

areonlyapartoftheeduation:wealsomustaskourselveswhether

thecampusiswelcoming,stimulatingandsupportivetoadiverse

studentbody.

InpassingIreferredtoCaltechasasmallschool,andthatis

certainlytheself-imageofthiscampus.However,interesting

thingsemergewhenyouask,"InwhatsenseisCaltechasmall

school?"

Therearemanymantrasspecifictothiscampusbutnoneisas

pervasiveasthestatement,"Caltechisasmallschoolandwantsto

staysmall."Fromthatshorttheoremmanycorollariesaredrawn.It

canbecomeanargumentfornottakingnewdirections,fornot

hiringmorefaculty,fornotaddingtothestudentbody,forliving

withaless-than-criticalmassoftalentinmanyareasofscience

andengineering.Allofthistomaintainthewonderfulandvery

realvaluesofsmallness--collegiality,encouragementof

interdisciplinaryefforts,focusofactivities,esprit.However,in

reality,Caltechisactuallysmallonlyinitsnumbersofstudents

andfaculty.IfyoucompareCaltechtootherresearch-intensive

schools,ithasthehighestratioofspacetofacultyorfederal

supporttofacultyorprobablyanyothermeasureoftheamountof

sciencedoneperfacultymember.Becauseofthehugeoff-campus

facilitiesrunbyCaltech,theenormousplantonthecampus,the

manytalentedmembersofthestaffwhoarewhollyinvolvedin

research,andthepostdoctoralfellows,Caltechisalotbigger

thanitmightseem.Anditisgrowing.UnderTomEverhart,there

wereeightbuildingsputupthatincreasedthesquarefootageon

campusby20percent,whilethebudgetincreasedbyareal32

percent.Duringthesametime,thefacultyincreasedby6percent,

butactuallyitwasstillatalowerlevelthanatanearlierpeak.

AnotheraspectofCaltech''''ssizeisJPL.Ithasabudgetalmost

fourtimesthatofCaltechandisgrowing.

Caltechisnotreallysmall,itisjustbalanceddifferentlyfrom

otherschools.Wekeepourfacultyandundergraduatestudentbody

smallandreapthatharvest.Butmeanwhileweallowtheratioof

ouractivitiestoourfacultytogrowcontinually.Ithinkweneed

toquestionourselvesabouttheimplicationsofthisgrowth.Arewe

maintainingsufficientcontroloverourgrowth?Isitaffectingthe

lifeofthecampus?Howcanwesafeguardthevaluesofsmallness?

Letmeturntothedirectionofthestudents.HereIhavewondered,

"DoesCaltechsufficientlydevelopthoseaspectsofthelivesof

its20-year-oldundergraduatesthatwillallowthemtobecome

thoughtful,balanced,productivemembersofsociety?"Itisa

questionthatIaskasIvisittheHousesandmeetwithstudent

leaders.ItisaquestionthatIhearfromalumni,manyofwhom

seemtofeelthattheyenduredtheirundergraduatedaysratherthan

enjoyingthem.Itisadeepquestionaboutvaluesystems.Each

Caltechprofessorfeelsthathisorherareaofteachingis

criticallyimportanttothedevelopmentofstudentsandthat

leavingoutanyofthegloryofthefieldisacrime.Forthe

studentsitbecomesalifeoftryingtokeepupacademicallywith

littletimeforpersonaldevelopment.Weencouragesports,andhave

greatfacilities.Butwedolessthanotherschools,evensmall

ones,toencouragethecreativeartsasextracurricularactivities.

TheCaltecheducationconcentratesontheproductsofrational

thought.Weskimpontheotheraspectsofsociety,oneslikeart

andliteraturewheretheemotionalandpersonalcontentishigher.

Wemightseemtooverlookthoseelements,butthat''''snotreallythe

messagewearesending,becausethat''''snotthefacultyIhavecome

toknow.Wearecollectorsofart,devoteesofmusic,readersof

literature.ManyofusconsultoutsideCaltechandunderstandthe

multiplestrainsthatcontributetomodernlife.Maybewecoulddo

moretobringthatunderstandingtoourstudents.Itisnotan

issueofteachingmoreartorliterature.Myexperiencehasbeen

thatyoudonotlearnabouttheroleofartorliteraturein

classesbecausetheclassroomisintrinsicallyananalytic

framework--youlearnhowtolookatart,howtolistentomusic,

howtounderstandthestructureandhistoryofliterature.Butthe

realreasonforthearts,asareflectionofthecomplexityoflife

withitsintricatemixtureofrationality,passion,andhistory,is

nottaughtbutratherlearnedbyexperienceintheworld--often

throughintenseinteractionswithothers.MighttheCaltech

undergraduateexperience,aswonderfulasitis,improvewithmore

timeandopportunityforthestudentstogrowashumanbeings?I

needtohearmorefromthevariousconstituenciesonthecampus

aboutthisissue.Thealumnicanbeparticularlyhelpfulhere.

TurningtotheresearchsideofCaltech,Ihaveasked,"Howcanwe

justifyouractivitiesinaworldthatisbecomingincreasingly

materialistic?"Caltechisagreatundergraduatecollegeanda

superbgraduateschool,butthelargestpartofitsactivitiesis

focusedonresearch.Andeventhoughwehaveanengineeringand

appliedsciencedivision,mostoftheresearchisatthemostbasic

endofthespectrum.Ourbiginstruments,likePalomar,Keckand

LIGO,areallattemptstoanswerverybasicquestions,liketheage

oftheuniverseoritsverynature.JPLismorepractically

orientedtowardsthemechanicsofexploringspace,butits

justificationisspacescience,answeringquestionslikewhether

lifeeverevolvedindependentlyofthatonearth.Afewyearsago,

purescienceseemedunderverystrongattack,andthecancellation

oftheSuperconductingSupercolliderseemedtheproofthatAmerica

wasnolongerwillingtosupportbasicscience.Remarkably,the

toneofWashingtonhaschangedrecently,andcongressmenarevying

forwhocanpromisemoretotheNationalScienceFoundation,the

NationalInstitutesofHealth,andotheragencies.Althoughthe

overallNASAbudgetisbeingreduced,spacescienceremainsstrong.

Americahascertainlybecomemorematerialistic:morestudentsare

goingintobusiness,admissiontolawschoolsisverycompetitive,

andscienceandevenengineeringarenotdrawinginterestamong

youngAmericansthewaytheydidinthedecadesfollowingWorldWar

II.However,aswebecomearicherandmorepowerfulnation,the

importanceofscienceasthedriverofcommerceandthegenerator

ofgoodhealthhasbecomeincreasinglyevident,andthusscienceis

receivingunprecedentedsupport.

Whiletakingadvantageofthegovernment''''snewlyfoundinterestin

science,weneedtorememberandtoreassertthevaluesthathave

drivenmostofusintoscience.Itistherushofdiscovery,the

excitementofbeingthefirsttouncoveranewsecretofnature,

thesatisfactionofseeingmessycomplexityresolveintoelegant

simplicitythatdrivesmostoftheresearchactivityonthis

campus.Luckily,basicsciencefeedstheneedsofindustry,

justifyingitssupport.Butitservesahigherfunction,thatof

demystifyingtheworld,providinganorderlyunderstandingof

naturalprocesses.WhenTimemagazinefeaturesascientificstory

onitscover,itsnewsstandsalessoar.Scienceservestheneedof

peopletounderstandtheworldaroundthem,andthatunderstanding

isoneofourfinestproducts.公務員之家，全國公務員共同天地

Althoughscienceisdoingwellnowandhasgreatpublicsupport,

therearemajorissuestobefaced.Congressmencansupportscience

todaybecauseoftheextraordinarystrengthoftheeconomyandthe

possibilityofawindfallfromthetobaccoindustry.Thatcouldbe

ephemeral.Also,totakeadvantageoftheavailablefederalfunds,

weneedtomakemajorinvestmentsinthecampusinspace,

facilities,andpeople.Thus,ourdependenceonprivate

philanthropyremainsasgreatasever.WeareluckythatCaltech

hassomanyfinefriendswhoareascommittedasthefacultyto

Caltech''''sgreatness.

IhavesaidalotaboutwhatIhavelearnedaboutCaltech,but

littleaboutmyself.Letmeendonamorepersonalnote.Ideeply

believeinthepower,beauty,andcomfortthatcomesfroma

rationaloutlookontheworld.Inmyyoungeryears,Ihankered

afteraworldinwhichrationalitywouldconqueremotionandbring

peace.Itwasreinforcedinmyearlyschooling--rememberthatIwas

inschoolinthepost-WorldWarIIera,whenthecountrywasstill

baskinginthegloryofhavingdefeatedtheirrationalityofthe

Nazisandwhenthescienceandtechnologythathadwonthewarfor

uswereseenasthekeytothefuture.Eventhephilosophythat

thenopposedAmerica''''s,theCommunistphilosophy,seemedtocome

fromarationalanalysisofsocietyandseemedahumanealternative

toAmerica''''scapitalistsociety,whichwassohardonthosewho

wereunabletocopewithitsdemands.

Whenyougrowupwithaworldviewlikethat,thereisacentral

aspectofsocietythatmakesnosense:politics.Foryears,I

simplycouldnotcomprehendwhatthewordmeant.Whenpeoplesaid

thatinmakingdecisions,youneedtoconsiderboththerational

elementsofanissueandthepoliticalones,Ididnotunderstand

whattheymeant--whywasn''''trationalityenough?Somywholelife

sinceIleftmyparents''''nesthasbeenaneducationin

irrationality.I''''vehadtolearnthatyoucannotdenythepassions

ofpeople,youmustaccommodatethem;thatyoucannotdenyhistory,

youmustaccommodateit.Ithinkthisisaperspectivethatall

scientistswhoarewillingtoworkwithinthelargersocietyhave

tolearn,anditiswhatsometimeslimitstheeffectivenessof

scientistswhentheydoventureoutsideoftheirlaboratoriesand

institutions.

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,auniqueorganizationthataddsaspecial

dimensiontotheactivitiesofCaltech.Itisanhonorandthe

deepestofresponsibilitiestoacceptthehelmofthisinstitution.

Thankyousomuchformakingmyfamilyapartofyours.Letusmove

everforward,surmountingobstacles,increasingourreachandour

influence,holdingtoourvaluesandkeepingCaltechthejewelof

academia.