4 Matching Annotations
  1. Nov 2017
    1. Some good men, and even of respectable information, consider the learned sciences as useless acquirements; some think that they do not better the condition of men; and others that education like private & individual concerns, should be left to private & individual effort

      It is interesting to see the acknowledgement of those who would oppose the creation of a public university. It is a gesture that displays the maturity and certainty of the founders. They know that their goals for their university wouldn't settle well for many people. However, they still called them "good men" with "respectable information" suggesting they are surprised that intelligent men can still disagree with their plans, yet they are respectful of their opinions. Instead of trying to persuade them to side with their plans, they cleverly resolve to allow them privately and individually abide by their opinions. Education is difficult to define for many people and the founders were well aware of that. -Yuki Zheng

    2. Medicine, when fully taught, is usually subdivided into several professorships, but this cannot well be without the accessory of an hospital, where the student can have the benefit of attending clinical lectures & of assisting at operations of surgery. With this accessory, the seat of our university is not yet prepared, either by its population, or by the numbers of poor, who would leave their own houses, and accept of the charities of an hospital. For the present therefore we propose but a single professor for both medicine & anatomy.

      With the vision of creating a top university, the difficulty for the founders resides within accepting their limits. As they stated, medicine is an advanced field requiring different elements. The founders were aware of the fact that their institution and community were not ready for a full-scale medical field. The acknowledgment of their status is impressive. Progression is a key factor in the creation of the university and the founders were smart enough to wait until they know they were ready. Now we have an incredible medical center that was able to fully set its reputation through preparation. -Yuki Zheng

  2. Sep 2017
    1. And generally to form them to habits of reflection, and correct action, rendering them examples of virtue to others & of happiness within themselves.

      This sentence hints at the Honor System that will be formed in order to uphold this object. One of the strongest UVA values is being honest which echoes Jefferson's intention of self-governance. As the University's Honor System continues to strive today, it still reflects the initial desires of the founders that called for "habits of reflection" and "correct action." I believe UVA has been able to execute these values well as the University grows to this day. -Yuki Zheng

    2. it cannot be but that each generation succeeding to the knowledge acquired by all those who preceded it, adding to it their own acquisitions & discoveries, and handing the mass down for successive & constant accumulation, must advance the knowledge & well-being of mankind: not infinitely, as some have said, but indefinitely, and to a term which no one can fix or foresee.

      Education is highly valued for the founders of the University. Their belief that each generation will pass increasingly more amount of knowledge to the next is still evident in today's societies. However, their use of "indefinitely" is highly doubtful as they limit their extent of knowledge by restricting access to the University to only men. Today, knowledge is also evidently lost as humanity reduces the diversity in human society as well as the natural world. In order to fully emerge in an indefinite scale of acquiring knowledge, boundaries cannot be set as the writers of this report did, and acceptance of all forms of resources is necessary. -Yuki Zheng