TULANE TALK

January 26, 2007

Good Morning:

Last year Tulane University welcomed a spectacular array of speakers, including Laura Bush, Brian Williams, Madeleine Albright, Wynton Marsalis, Richard Ford, John Biguenet, former Presidents Bush and Clinton and our surprise commencement guest Ellen DeGeneres.

Now 2007 is shaping up to be a year in which we will continue to attract some of the countryís most sought-after speakers. For instance, former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno will discuss domestic violence Feb. 1 at noon in Room 110 of the Tulane Law School, while Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer will discuss “Life, Work and the Constitution at the Supreme Court” Feb. 5, from 10 to 11 a.m. in the Freeman Auditorium of the Woldenberg Art Center.

Lawrence Wright, a Tulane graduate whose book “The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11” was a finalist for the 2006 National Book Award, will speak on the topic “Al-Qaeda: Past, Present, and Future” Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. in the Freeman Auditorium of the Woldenberg Art Center. Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison will read from her works on April 12 in McAlister Auditorium.

In addition to these speakers a slate of international experts will highlight ìEducating Women for a World in Crisis,î the inaugural summit of the Newcomb College Institute at Tulane University. The summit, which will be held Feb. 8-11 at Tulaneís Lavin-Bernick Center, will feature women around the world who examine and resolve crises locally, nationally and globally. For more information on other summit speakers, please visit http://newcomb.tulane.edu/speakers.html

This year will also witness the revival of the student-run Direction series, which has brought some of the nation’s top speakers to Tulane throughout the years. Political strategist James Carville, Aspen Institute president and CEO Walter Isaacson and bestselling author Michael Lewis are just some of the exciting speakers on tap for this year. Specific dates, times and settings for these presentations will be forthcoming.

All of the speakers listed above and those still to be scheduled will bring a unique perspective to Tulane, a perspective that will be shaped by their experience in our city. I hope you will take the opportunity to listen to, learn from and inform these perspectives.

Have a great weekend,