Talking With Lamar
by Vince Durnan
Last Tuesday afternoon we hosted the current chair of the US Senate Education Committee on our very own Auditorium stage. Here’s what I asked, and here’s what he offered:
Last Tuesday afternoon we hosted the current chair of the US Senate Education Committee on our very own Auditorium stage. Here’s what I asked, and here’s what he offered:
The notion that a person of Lamar Alexander’s stature would roll in for an hour at USN to talk shop may strike you as improbable. Or maybe you’re jaded by celebrity sightings at Kroger and it just doesn’t register. The fact remains that our Senator was once our Governor and our nation’s Secretary of Education in between those elected offices. He was also a USN dad, the spouse of a USN Board member, and a regular at Grandparents’ Day. He knows us well, and he knows the education reform landscape as well as anyone, from 100 ft. to 100,000 ft. in elevation.
So it’s no great surprise, in context, that this opportunity came our way, closing our first century and starting our second. But it’s no less a big deal. Consider who arrived from within the USN community and beyond to be part of the audience—our current representative to Congress, the current Chair of the Tennessee Senate Education Committee, the recent TN Commissioner of Education, the Dean at Peabody College, two Metro School Board members, my beloved predecessor Harvey Sperling, my fellow head from MBA, the Director at our neighbor Kennedy Center, and an impressive cohort of USN and VU faculty. And we had media, plenty of media. Coverage extended from local papers to TV news to national education blogs.
In hindsight, it really was a pretty big, amicable, memorable deal. Senator Alexander let me ask what he expected back in the 1990s would have happened by now with regard to school reform. Without hesitation, he identified school choice as the anticipated vehicle for educational change that never reached expected velocity or breadth. When asked about the role for federal initiative to benefit states and localities, the Senator shared a skepticism built of experience. His worries manifested most visibly in a copy of the byzantine FAFSA form, an impediment to financial aid for college students and thereby an obstacle for educational access—though he had compliments for Tennessee’s efforts to open doors for community colleges especially.
Perhaps most relevant around here was my question about USN’s role as a catalyst for educational reform. At first our Senator counseled a limited scope, citing the very real challenge of just getting it right for the 1000+ students in our care. Then he offered three follow-up suggestions, with me hanging on his every word. To paraphrase, he told us to 1) connect with other schools to share what we are learning works best, 2) help wherever possible to support our city’s school board, source of so much acrimony of late, and 3) provide an example of getting technology built into our teaching model for maximum benefit. This is no light or hastily drawn list, nor are these simple tasks, but doing the hard stuff may be exactly why University School is here.
We closed with my asking what Senator Alexander hoped would be true for his middle-school grandchild’s education, for this next generation. No novice to this kind of crystal ball question, he deftly turned it back my way, reminding me (consistent with all his earlier statements) that figuring out that stuff is our job here at school. And of course he is right.
Glad to have such good company on that journey,
Vince
More USN News
List of 3 news stories.
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Ava ’26 recognized by National Council of Teachers of English
Congratulations to the rising senior, who has been selected for a 2025 Achievement Award in Writing by the National Council of Teachers of English.Read More -
Retired faculty, staff return to USN
As part of a longstanding tradition, retired teachers and professionals from USN over the years came together to celebrate, connect, and reminisce during their annual luncheon in Durnan Auditorium.Read More -
Athletes beyond Edgehill
Read MoreIt is common to have five or more University School of Nashville student-athletes sign college athletic commitment letters each year, and this year, USN saw eight more student-athletes commit to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level. USN has several alumni participating in their chosen sport at the collegiate level from the Classes of 2021 through 2025. Continue reading to learn more about where Tigers are competing beyond Edgehill.
Contact
Edgehill Campus
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
USN Mission:
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.