TULANE TALK

March 22, 2002

Good Morning:

I received an e-mail on Tuesday from Navy Lt. David O’Dell, a 1995 graduate of our School of Engineering, who had just returned from the USS John C. Stennis in the Northern Arabian Sea. Lt. O’Dell wanted to remind me that many Tulane alumni were currently involved in combat operations in the war against terrorism. I want to take this opportunity to assure Lt. O’Dell that everyone here in New Orleans is ever mindful of the sacrifice these fellow Tulanians are making. We wish them success in their mission and a speedy return home.

I spent a lot of time this week addressing various student forums. One major concern of the students is our recent 5.3 percent increase in tuition and fees. This tuition increase underscores the need for us to lower our dependence on tuition as a major source of revenue. This is why we are putting so much emphasis on increasing our annual giving, endowment and research and development awards. Yet, having said all of this, it turns out that our proposed increase is very much in line with what other universities with much larger endowments and annual giving levels are doing. We will continue to be sensitive to this issue each year as we do our annual planning.

I also met with many potential Tulane students from around the country this week. These students are among the nation’s best and brightest high school seniors who have been accepted for admission by Tulane (and many of the country’s other top universities) but have not yet committed to a school. This weekend I’m joining a few faculty and admission members for a visit to the New York and Boston area to meet more of these top scholars in the hope of enrolling them at Tulane. I always enjoy these sessions and talking about what makes Tulane such a unique university.

Have a good weekend,