"Higher Education", as we refer to it today, was well valued by Jefferson, but how have the standards of higher education shifted from Jefferson's time to ours? Now that by law, everyone in America is given a general education, a large percentage of people in the United States choose to pursue a higher education. Does this mean that the value of a higher education has decreased since Jefferson's time? Possibly, but as a result there is a much greater market for specificity in different fields of research that was apparent when UVA was in its creation.

Jefferson heavily valued education, but not just education in the classic sense, but education in morality. This is an interesting topic to educate, as morality seems to be something that is not definite, and changes drastically from person to person. What morals then did Jefferson want to teach? Keep in mind that Jefferson found it within his moral code to own slaves. Jefferson was considered a well educated man, yet his moral code was obviously flawed in at least some ways.

The lawn at UVA currently contradicts this specification, as it is clearly boxed in on all 4 sides by buildings. Although it would be impossible to have a truly indefinitely extending lawn, it seems that Jefferson didn't want to have a space that was closed in on all sides, at least at first. Perhaps Jefferson originally envisioned the lawn stretching much farther than Cabell Hall.