Morven, the University of Virginia, and the Summer Jefferson Symposium

By John Ragosta

Earlier this week, Althea Brooks from Lifetime Learning in Alumni and Parent Engagement sent me an article concerning Morven, the 3,000 acre property which John W. Kluge donated to the University of Virginia, most of which had in its time been purchased by Thomas Jefferson for his secretary, William Short. Those that had the opportunity to attend the Summer Jefferson Symposium in 2012 will remember a delightful evening exploring the grounds and buildings at Morven before a wonderful dinner and lecture concerning William Short’s plans to emancipate his slaves and experiment with tenant farmers.

The article is about a team of architects who are trying to re-imagine how UVA can best use Morven to connect UVA to the world, consistent with the bequest. Morven Article. Kluge saw the property, with its extraordinary grounds, buildings, and gardens as a place that would serve to gather thinkers and innovators in Charlottesville who would “bring their ideas, their culture.” The UVA Foundation website describes it as “A venue for critical thinking and creative problem solving.” A quick perusal of the website shows that scores of interesting conferences, programs, and visits are hosted at Morven each year. Still, one gets the sense from the architects’ project that while the possibilities are endless, how best to use the property is still up in the air.

I don’t mean to be critical, and I don’t envy them their task. Still, while absolutely clueless as to what their report will suggest, I am confident that it will be an exciting opportunity for UVA, the region, and beyond.

When we focus our attention on ideas, culture, problem solving, and critical thinking, we cannot help but to advance the effort. What effort? That of a liberal arts education. Of course, it is hard to define what exactly that is, but, to paraphrase a Supreme Court opinion in a very different area, “I know it when I see it.” One of the best definitions, one that I think of often when I am teaching, is to promote a life well-lived. To give vision, meaning, advancement to the human condition. To serve, because certainly service is an essential part of a life well-lived. Jefferson once described William Short upon returning from an exploratory and research trip to Italy: He was “charged, like a bee, with the honey of wisdom, a blessing to his country and honour and comfort to his friends.” Not a bad description of lifetime learning (and I always appreciate references to bees).

So, we wish the architects the best in their endeavors and look forward to their report.

What does this have to do with the Summer Jefferson Symposium? I think much.

Why come to Charlottesville for several days to learn about Jefferson, Madison, Henry, Burr and other “dead white males” (and a few dead females as well)? It is all part of continuing to learn and explore and think. Mind you, I do not mean to suggest that we should or can take eighteenth century wisdom and apply it uncritically to twenty-first century problems. Any good historian would eschew that. Yet, history does teach us about the human condition, in this case, how one of America’s greatest thinkers and politicians worked with, struggled with, family, friends, and foes. Even more fundamentally, simply the chance to learn, relax, think, and enjoy in Charlottesville and the Piedmont can nurture ideas and culture, critical thinking and problem solving. I don’t mean to be Pollyannaish, but I think that is what we’re doing in a symposium like this. In June, scholars from Monticello, Montpelier, UVA, and Louisiana State University will gather for a few days to think about Jefferson and his relationships with those around him and to try to have a conversation about that with visitors from around the country. For those of us in the academy, it is a chance, as John Kluge sought, to connect with the broader world.

Hope to see you this June at Summer Jefferson Symposium!