The Tufts Tomorrow capital campaign recently met its goal of raising $600 million. This and previous fund raising efforts caused the University to evolve at a geometric pace over the past 30 years - to the point where the students, faculty, and facilities are all first-rate. But Tufts still faces many challenges, and it must figure out how to use the next capital campaign to address weaknesses in the undergraduate education.
It's an undeniable truth that the dramatic rise of the endowment must continue under President Larry Bacow. On account of bad leadership at the beginning of the 20th century, the endowment was not in a position to flourish similarly. Jean Mayer and John DiBiaggio had brilliant careers at the helm, finally putting Tufts in the position to hit the coveted $1 billion mark during the Bacow administration.
Before Mayer and DiBiaggio came on the scene, Tufts was a sleepy New England college with a vibrant activist scene, sometimes referred to as the Berkeley of the East. An unfortunate consequence of becoming "great," is that Tufts lost a bit of its luster in this respect. A majority of students who attend are pre-professional, and see undergraduate education merely as a warm-up to graduate studies. Many students and their parents understandably see the four years strictly as an investment that must reap considerable dividends. While there is nothing wrong with intending to use your Tufts' diploma to earn a six-figure salary, it certainly must signify more.
Perhaps DiBiaggio realized this when he started the University College of Citizenship of Public Service. Tufts was educating and inspiring students to be successful, but DiBiaggio questions whether it was teaching them the value of giving back. The College must be given a few years before it can be determined if it can bring about the value shift that it intends, but more must be done across the University to further push its noble ideas of "active citizenship," and "sustainability."
The best examples of students carrying out the UCCPS' mission without any affiliation to it are the campus groups that pride themselves on their tradition and take pride in performing their service for the community. The Beelzebubs, the all-male a capella group, are an excellent example. The talented group maintains its level of quality because it prides itself on a tradition, while keeping an eye to the future. As a result, it receives the most exciting performance opportunities, whether it be on campuses across the country, David Letterman, or a Red Sox game.
The cover story in the Sunday Boston Globe magazine two weeks ago attempted to argue that Tufts was not worth the tuition, as students are more interested in their extra-curricular activities than their academics, and most of the money goes to the latter. The reality is that students are not interested enough in extra-curricular activities. While academics should always be the priority, far too many students spend their four years as cogs in a machine, pushing for the high GPA, and not caring about much else. These students are not the ones who will become leaders, nor the ones who will give back. There is no better example than Trustee Alan Solomont, who was a trouble-making activist during his years on the hill. As Tufts soars ahead, it must attract and seek out students who will add both to the community and to the statistics.
