Selected Articles

Additional and recent articles by President Emeritus Cowen can be found here.

About Scott Cowen

July 2, 2014
Huffington Post – Scott Cowen May Be Leaving Tulane, but His Legacy Will Be Felt for Years to Come
Scott Cowen’s last day as Tulane University president has come to an end, but his footprint, befitting of the more than 6-foot-tall former football player and U.S. army service member, will always loom large over the university.

June 12, 2014
The Times-Picayune – Scott Cowen brought Tulane back after Katrina, but only after conquering uncertainty
Late one restless night in early September 2005, Scott Cowen was alone in the fitness room of a Houston hotel, plodding along on a treadmill and gazing at the television.

March 2014
Tulane Magazine – Something Extraordinary
The best of times, the worst of times and everything in between marked the tenure of President Scott Cowen.

By Scott Cowen

February 28, 2014
Huffington Post – Expanding National Service on the College Campus
When I get invited to speak at conferences and events, people typically want to hear about the rebirth of Tulane, the story of how Tulane came back stronger and better after the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Winter 2013
Diversity & Democracy – Reimagining Tulane as an Engaged Community Partner
When Hurricane Isaac recently battered its way through New Orleans on the seventh anniversary of Katrina, I was vividly reminded of an event that offered the greatest challenge and most significant opportunity in Tulane University’s history.

November 23, 2012
The New York Times – Letter to the Editor
Orrin H. Pilkey (“We Need to Retreat From the Beach,” Op-Ed, Nov. 15) makes what appears to be a reasonable argument against rebuilding shorelines or homes near the beach destroyed by Hurricane Sandy.

November 18, 2012
The Star-Ledger – Tulane president: Katrina taught New Orleans not just to rebuild, but to reimagine
During the height of Hurricane Sandy, Jim Cantore of the Weather Channel remarked that the storm was “New Jersey’s Katrina,” a phrase that has a double resonance for me.

March 2010
Journal of Management Inquiry – Rediscovering Communities: Lessons from the Hurricane Katrina Crisis
In an era of globalization, the importance of communities—particularly local ones—receives relatively little attention in management education and research

Summer 2010
Innovations: Innovation Amidst Crisis – Tulane University’s Strategic Transformation
When Hurricane Katrina swept ashore in New Orleans on August 29, 2005, the destruction left in its wake was unparalleled in U.S. history.

December 2008
Traumatology – Life Lessons from Inside the Storm
Hurricane Katrina was an unprecedented event in U.S. history in terms of its impact—psychologically, emotionally and financially.