Casteen is best known for his 20-year tenure as the president of the University of Virginia, during which time the school’s enrollment of women, minority and economically disadvantaged students increased dramatically. According to Casteen, Franklin’s knowledge and commitment to the school influenced his approach to leading the university.
“I, on two occasions, sat next to Dr. John Hope Franklin in which he was chairing the selection of Woodrow Wilson fellows, but I spent the day sitting next to Dr. Franklin, handing him and filing papers,” said Casteen at the reception hosted by Diverse: Issues In Higher Education, creator of the award. “It was a lesson and a combination of brilliance and humility to watch him talking about the prospects of opportunity that these young people faced.”
