TULANE TALK

August 13, 2001

Hello Again:

I hadn’t intended to write again until the beginning of the new semester but so many exciting things have happened that I just had to send you a few lines.

First, I’m pleased to announce that Professor Ronald Marks, the School of Social Work’s associate dean, has been named interim dean of the School of Social Work effective August 15. Ron emerged as the unanimous choice for this position after our new Provost Lester Lefton consulted the faculty in search of the best person to lead the school in wake of Dean Suzanne England’s departure. Ron has the vision and consensus building ability to lead the school during this transitional period.

I am also happy to report that Tulane has been awarded a $1 million challenge grant from the Kresge Foundation of Troy, Michigan to aid in our efforts to construct the new $26 million addition to the A. B. Freeman School of Business. Since the Kresge grant is a challenge grant, we will only receive the funding if we successfully reach our goal of raising the $26 million for construction of the new facility by July 2002. So far we have received approximately $18 million in this effort and I have every confidence that business school Dean James McFarland and his staff will carry us through to our goal.

And finally I am very pleased to inform you that Tulane has been named a “Hot School” in Kaplan/Newsweek’s How to Get Into College Guide for 2002. This designation has nothing to do with the heat or the humidity. Rather, Tulane was cited for posting a more than 30 percent increase in applications in 2001 and for being an “academically superior university” in a great setting.

Keeping Tulane company as a “Hot School” are Hampshire College, Vanderbilt, Wesleyan University, University of Michigan, Oberlin College, Vassar College, Franklin Olin College of Engineering and Emory University.

The nine “Hot Schools” were revealed this morning on the Today Show and the list is expected to receive further publicity on CNN and daily newspapers across the country.