TULANE TALK

May 16, 2008

Good Morning:

What do an 81-year-old earning his MBA after a 53-year interruption, two undergraduates being honored for public service and a group of nine receiving their Master’s of Fine Arts degree after a Katrina-imposed delay have in common?

They are all members of Tulane’s class of 2008 and are among the more than 2,100 graduates who will be honored as Tulane hosts the 10th anniversary of its Unified Commencement May 17 at 9 a.m. in the Superdome. This year’s commencement, the first Tulane commencement held in the Superdome since Katrina, is expected to draw more than 12,000 families, friends and members of the university community.

America’s political odd couple James Carville and Mary Matalin will deliver the keynote address. The ceremony will include all the pomp and circumstance of a traditional commencement along with bagpipes, herald trumpets, confetti cannons, balloon drops and “only in New Orleans” moments such as performances by jazz greats Dr. Michael White and Wanda Rouzan and a rollicking second-line jazz procession.

The day will also feature a new tradition, the first Undergraduate Diploma Ceremony in which all undergraduates enrolled in Newcomb-Tulane College and the School of Continuing Studies will come together in a single ceremony to receive their degrees. Several media outlets, including CBS and the Associated Press, plan to cover this year’s event.

Commencement, the ultimate celebration of academic achievement, is always the highlight of my year. I hope to see as many of you there as possible.

Have a great weekend,