TULANE TALK

October 24, 2008

Good Morning:

I hope you will be able to enjoy some of the Newcomb Quad Party that will take place today from 2 to 6 p.m. under the oaks of beautiful Newcomb Quad. This event is the culmination of Celebrate Newcomb Week, an annual six-day salute to the history of Newcomb, its traditions and legacy as well as its current programs and opportunities. Many student organizations will host information tables and activities during the party, which will also feature lots of pizza, music, fun and variations on this year’s “At the Carnival” theme. The chairs of Celebrate Newcomb Week are students Melissa Bronstein and Monika Kumar.

The Newcomb Quad Party is organized by the Newcomb Senate and offered through Newcomb Student Programs, part of the Newcomb College Institute (NCI), which carries on the educational programs and traditions of Newcomb College. Since its inception in 2006 more than 1,000 women throughout Tulane have participated in the NCI. Last year alone, the institute hosted more than 200 events and more than 150 speakers. The NCI is also eagerly anticipating the appointment, after a nationwide search, of its first permanent executive director.

The success of the NCI is evidence that women’s education is thriving at Tulane. In fact, since the 2005 decision to consolidate all undergraduate schools into Newcomb-Tulane College, women continue to be the majority of entering first-year classes as well as the overall undergraduate student body. Our academic restructuring has lead to a record number of undergraduate applications and an entering class with the highest academic credentials in the history of the university.

The endowment created by the Tulane Board for Newcomb College remains intact and funds the same departments it always has, including Newcomb Student Programs and the Newcomb College Center for Research on Women. Likewise, the endowment supports the Newcomb Fellows program, research grants for women and numerous leadership and career programs for women. The NCI has also expanded opportunities in women’s education with new initiatives such as the Newcomb Scholars Program. Through the NCI, these programs are now open to all undergraduate women at Tulane University, not just those in the arts and sciences, as was the case under the Newcomb College model.

In addition, the Newcomb Foundation Advisory Board continues to oversee the Newcomb College Institute’s funding. The executive director of the Newcomb College Institute creates and directs its budget. None of the oft-cited “Newcomb endowment” is used by Tulane for any other purpose. To learn more about the NCI, its mission, programs and events visit http://newcomb.tulane.edu/.

The NCI would not be the success it is without the hard work of many incredible women, including the Newcomb Alumnae Association and its thousands of members. I want to thank the Newcomb alumnae for their love and support of Tulane, especially the NCI. They represent the very best of our university by honoring the legacy and carrying forth the mission of Mrs. Newcomb.