TULANE TALK

November 5, 2010

Good Morning:

Ever since Katrina several new themes have occupied our thoughts. So much so that my recent Presidentís Letter and a series of video postcards were based on two of them. Iím talking about social innovation and entrepreneurship. These topics have received a lot of press lately, and weíre glad they have. To us at Tulane, these are not buzzwords; instead they reflect our commitment to helping people build a better world. We are building an entire campaign called http Empowers around this concept.

At Tulane, we define social innovation as creating sustainable solutions to societyís most pressing challenges. These solutions range from providing affordable health care to improving public education, from eliminating environmental degradation to tackling urban revitalization and improving disaster response.

In November we are hosting over a dozen events to inspire, engage and empower individuals to create change. On Thursday, Nov. 11 at 5 p.m., Bill Shore, founder of Share our Strength and chairman of Community Wealth Ventures will give a public lecture at Freeman Auditorium on how he is working to end childhood hunger and inspiring others to create social change.

Other events include http2Venture, a one-day workshop on the basics of technology commercialization, social entrepreneurship and new venture planning; and http 2010, where you can hear 10 social innovators pitch their ideas about how to make New Orleans better.

And finally, we are seeking innovators working in health, public education, urban revitalization or economic development to apply for $45,000 fellowships. Anyone working on a creative solution to a problem in New Orleans is eligible, but applications are due Dec. 1. To learn more about all these opportunities, visit the http Entrepreneurship Initiatives website.

The possibility of great change is always exciting and even more exciting is the possibility of bringing about great change when we all work together.

Have a great weekend,