TULANE TALK

September 19, 2003

Good Morning:

This week I was finally able to give a special thank you to John Koerner, whose term as chair of the Board of Tulane expired July 1. John and I came to our respective leadership roles at Tulane University at the same time. In the ensuing five years I came to admire John’s vision, intelligence and leadership skills. But mostly I came to trust him as a close friend to both our wonderful university and myself. Although he will no longer serve as chair, I am glad to say that John, as he has since 1994, will continue to be a member of our board.

At his “retirement” party we joked a lot about all that we had been through together: hurricanes, sit-ins, primate escapes, athletics reviews and more. We even kidded each other about who should get the credit or blame for what. But we both agreed how lucky we were to have been entrusted with the stewardship of such a great institution and how fortunate we are to have as John’s successor a wise and steady leader like Cathy Pierson, the first woman to chair the board in Tulane’s history.

In our board deliberations we always try to consider every voice. Tulane Hospital for Children and ISP Sports Network, which broadcasts Tulane football, basketball and baseball games, represent some voices that are very important to all of us. This week the hospital and network announced a new program called Tulane Voices for Kids to raise funds for pediatric research. Pledges made to Tulane Voices for Kids will be multiplied by the number of football, basketball and baseball wins broadcast on the Tulane ISP Sports Network this academic year. So if you pledge $1 and ISP broadcasts 90 wins over the course of the football, men’s and women’s basketball and baseball seasons this year, you will be asked to contribute $90 to fund pediatric research.

Pledge cards will be available at Tulane University Hospital & Clinic, on the Tulane University campus and at Tulane University athletic events. This is a great way for us all to have a winning season.

Finally, the President’s Council and HSC Board of Governors (BoG) also met this week. The agendas for these meetings covered a myriad of topics. Council and BoG members, as always, were generous with their advice and counsel. We are very fortunate to have so many friends who are willing to devote their time and energy to the university.

Have a great weekend,