TULANE TALK

June 30, 2006

Good Morning:

Another chapter in Tulane Universityís renewal came to a close this week with the ending of the Lagniappe semester. I hope all of you realized what a critical role you played by your participation in this historic semester.

Lagniappe students: you were a visible sign of the continued recovery of New Orleans. More than you realized, you gave the city a boost by your youthful spirit, your scholarship, your unflagging willingness to volunteer and, yes, your spending habits. We are already looking forward to seeing you again next fall.

Lagniappe faculty: no one can stop a hurricane but you mitigated Katrinaís impact on the lives of thousands of Tulane students. Think of how much stress you relieved and how many choices you made possible by teaching this semester. You prevented the deferral of dream jobs, advanced studies, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and probably one or two weddings by simply doing what you do best. We all appreciate the many sacrifices you made to make this happen.

Lagniappe staff: the glue that holds things together, the oil that keeps the engine running, the straw that stirs the drink. There are a lot of metaphors for what you do, but basically you make the academic enterprise possible. Forgive us if we donít always appreciate that fact.

Lagniappe: I didnít know what the word meant until I came to Louisiana. Then I learned it means ìa little something extra.î Well, then perhaps this semester was misnamed. Because I know all of our Lagniappe students, faculty and staff gave ìa whole lot extraî to make this semester possible. I offer you my sincere gratitude.

Because of people like you Tulane is recovering and leading the way for the full recovery of our beloved city.

I hope you all have a chance to have some fun and relaxation this summer.

P.S. This is my last regular Tulane Talk until the start of the fall semester, but I will update you periodically over the next couple months with any important news.