Tulane Talk March 02, 2012
TULANE TALK
March 2, 2012
Good Morning:
Of all the awards and accolades Tulane has received for its community engagement efforts, one of the most gratifying came just before Mardi Gras when we received the Ashoka U-Cordes Innovation Award.
The award was presented at the Ashoka U Exchange, an annual event held this year at Arizona State University, which brings together more than 400 university and social entrepreneurial leaders to discuss how universities can educate tomorrowís leaders to be key players in solving the most pressing challenges of our time.
The Ashoka award confirms Tulane’s role as a leader in fostering social entrepreneurs — individuals who find innovative solutions to address societal problems such as poverty, pollution, inadequate education and more.
Besides establishing community engagement as part of our core undergraduate curriculum, a natural incubator for the next generation of changemakers, Tulane has also created the Urban Innovation Challenge, a program that identifies and supports local social entrepreneurs with on-campus work space, funding and mentorship.
Tulane will tout its growing entrepreneurship efforts at the March 10-16 New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, seven days of workshops and seminars celebrating New Orleans as a national hub of innovation. Our students and alumni will also compete in the Entrepreneur Week’s business challenges.
New Orleans is definitely open for business ventures that do good, and Tulane is, once again, helping lead the way. Thank you all for making this award possible.
Have a great weekend,
Tulane Talk February 17, 2012
TULANE TALK
February 17, 2012
Mardi Gras, the world’s greatest party, is upon us. I know I don’t have to remind you to have a good time, but I would ask that everyone, especially our students, take a moment to check out these http Tips before heading out to the parades.
Here’s to a happy, safe and rain-free Carnival for everyone.
Tulane Talk February 10, 2012
TULANE TALK
February 10, 2012
Good Morning:
What began two years ago as a way to commemorate the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina is fast becoming a new Tulane University tradition of service.
I hope you will join me and your fellow staff, faculty and alumni on March 16 for “Wave of Green,” a day of service to our community.
This year we will again target City Park, one of New Orleans’ most beautiful and beloved treasures. We will plant, mulch, clear and beautify this wonderful space while we joke, encourage and help one another. I am betting that at the end of the day, we will realize that we have received a lot more than we have given and that we feel even more renewed than the grounds on which we have worked so hard.
OK, we may feel a little sore, too. But don’t let that stop you. Please http before March 2 so we know how many lunches, water and buses to order. “Wave of Green” volunteers will check in at Turchin Stadium at 8 a.m. on March 16. Parking will be available at the Rosen lot and the Diboll Complex. Buses will leave from the Rosen parking lot at 8:30 a.m. to take volunteers to their work sites. Lunch will be provided on-site.
Buses will return volunteers to the Wilson Center at 3 p.m. Then we will all gather near Turchin Stadium for a closing celebration with free food and drinks from 3-5 p.m. All volunteers will also be given free admission to that evening’s baseball game against Brown University at 6:30 p.m.
This is going to be another great day of Tulane service and Tulane fun. I hope to see you there.
Have a great weekend,
Tulane Talk February 03, 2012
TULANE TALK
February 3, 2012
Good Morning:
Every day I have the privilege of working with young people who are pursuing their studies, engaging their community and, often, working a full or part-time job. Unfortunately, there are 6.7 million Americans, ages 16-24, who are neither in school nor employed.
These young people represent not only a tragic waste of human potential but, in 2011 alone, cost taxpayers more than $93 billion in lost revenue and spending for their support. They are one of the main reasons President Obama formed the White House Council for Community Solutions, a group of 26 people who advise him on ways to reconnect these young people with society and provide communities with guidance on addressing other pressing social problems.
After meeting many such youth as part of my work with the White House Council, I have learned that the vast majority want to work and to be successful. However, family dysfunction, poor schooling, lack of resources, inadequate skills and other factors have conspired to keep them from realizing their potential.
To counter this, the Council has devised recommendations on how communities, universities and businesses can get this group back on the pathway to success for the benefit of everyone. These recommendations include mentoring and internship programs through which employers can develop the skills of young people; more night, weekend and online courses at universities for youths juggling parenthood and other responsibilities; and a host of partnerships communities can form with these and other institutions to transform “Disconnected Youth” into “Opportunity Youth.”
I plan to use the work of the White House Council to address the issue of Opportunity Youth in the New Orleans area. I hope you will join me in this effort by sending me your ideas on the best way to help these young people. Once empowered, our opportunity youth will be able to grasp the American dream and make it their own.
In doing so they will make us a stronger, more competitive and just nation. To learn more about this important initiative visit the http website.
Have a great weekend,
Tulane Talk January 27, 2012
TULANE TALK
January 27, 2012
Good Morning:
In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, we wondered what the future would hold for a reimagined university. Six years later we know the answer to the question. I invite you to visit http2011.tulane.edu to read more about how Tulane has redefined what it means to be a major civic-minded research university.
Tulane Talk January 20, 2012
TULANE TALK
January 20, 2012
Good Morning:
Last week, I promised to outline the steps we are taking to enhance the safety of Tulane students, faculty and staff – especially in the streets around campus.
These steps, which we shared in a separate letter to students and parents last week, include more patrols on the streets around campus, an enhanced Safe Rides program, more police available to escort students who do not feel safe, increased alerts about crimes in the university area and more late-night student activities on campus.
In addition, I, along with Tulane’s new Police Superintendent Jon Barnwell and other senior university leaders, met with Mayor Mitch Landrieu, New Orleans Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas and several other members of the mayor’s leadership team this week to discuss crime and safety in the university area.
I also discussed these issues with Rev. Kevin Wildes, president of Loyola University. These meetings will result in better coordination of efforts in combating crime and improving safety in our campus neighborhoods. As we all know, these issues are part of a larger city-wide set of challenges, the scope of which is far beyond the jurisdiction or capability of our campus police department.
In addition to the steps listed above, we all need to continue to be vigilant protectors of our own safety, remembering to lock our doors, secure our personal property, stay alert and aware of our surroundings, avoid secluded areas and take advantage of Safe Rides, police escorts and other services provided by the university.
We also need to watch out for one another and remember that safety is a shared responsibility that requires everyone’s attention. Please be assured that the protection of our students, faculty and staff continues to be our top priority and focus.
Tulane Talk January 13, 2012
TULANE TALK
January 13, 2012
Good Morning:
Monday begins a weeklong commemoration of the life, legacy and dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Tulane, Dillard, Loyola and Xavier universities.
This annual “Week of Peace” in honor of Dr. King will include an interfaith service, a convocation, a talent show, a step competition and a Day of Service in which students from all four universities will volunteer at schools and nonprofits throughout the city.
Like most Americans of my generation, I remember exactly where I was when I heard the terrible news out of Memphis that Dr. King had been assassinated. I remember thinking that he had died so young with so much of his dream left unfulfilled. But now I am grateful for all that has been achieved since then in the continued march toward equality. We are no doubt a stronger, more just, more unified and wiser nation.
However, much work still remains to achieve the equality and justice for which Dr. King preached, marched, lived and died. In this spirit we must continue to address these issues, including ones related to the violence and crime in our city. In the weeks ahead you will hear much more about the specific steps we are taking, in concert with our city leaders, to address these pressing issues.
I hope to see many of you at next week’s numerous events honoring Dr. King.
Have a great weekend,
Tulane Talk January 06, 2012
TULANE TALK
January 6, 2012
Good Morning:
I hope you enjoyed your holiday break. We are starting the new year and new semester off right with the addition of Stephanie Feoli to the Board of Tulane.
Stephanie, who is director of the Zemurray Foundation, is an alumna and longtime friend of Tulane University. She and her family have been vital to the success of Tulane for almost a century. Evidence of this is everywhere.
Stephanie and the Zemurray Foundation have established the France Vintor Scholes Chair of Colonial Latin American Studies, the Richard E. Greenleaf Distinguished Chair in Latin American Studies, the Samuel Z. Stone Chair of Public Health in Latin American Studies, the Doris Stone Librarian and Professor of Latin American Studies, and the Samuel Z. Stone Chair in Economics.
In addition, the Tulane Middle American Research Institute, the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, the Roger Thayer Stone Center for Latin American Studies, the Tulane president’s home and numerous endowed chairs, professorships, post-doctoral fellowships and dorms have been founded, funded or donated by the Zemurray Foundation or a family member.
We are so pleased to have Stephanie join us in this new leadership role. She, along with the other dedicated members of our Board, will ensure that 2012 is a memorable year indeed.
Have a great weekend,
Tulane Talk December 16, 2011
TULANE TALK
December 16, 2011
Marjorie and I (and Gibson) have prepared a special holiday greeting showing how the Tulane community exhibits the holiday spirit all year long.
May you, your family and friends have a wonderful holiday season!
Tulane Talk December 09, 2011
TULANE TALK
December 9, 2011
Good Morning:
Well, it’s been an exciting week. On Monday, we hired Saints wide receivers coach Curtis Johnson as our new head football coach. Yesterday, we announced the public phase of “Home Field Advantage,” a $70 million capital campaign to build a $60 million Tulane Community Stadium on campus while providing $10 million in additional support for the Green Wave football program.
While there is much excitement over the return of Tulane’s rich tradition of on-campus football, it is important to remember that we are proposing much more than a football stadium.
The http Community Stadium will be another way for Tulane to empower others, providing local kids with a safe and wholesome environment for youth football games, graduations, track meets and even part-time jobs. For many young New Orleanians, the stadium will be their first time stepping foot on Tulane’s campus. Such a welcoming setting will make them eager to experience the excitement of college life themselves.
It is also important to note that the stadium will be financed by private donations given for the specific purpose of its construction. Tuition dollars will not go toward the stadium. Nor will Tulane’s academic programs be affected in any way, except perhaps being enhanced by the heightened local and national exposure an on-campus stadium brings.
Many Tulane alumni first caught the Green Wave spirit either sitting in the stands watching the games or hawking programs outside the old Tulane stadium. The new stadium will enhance school spirit and the attractiveness of Tulane athletics while being a valuable and unique resource for the community.
As I said at yesterday’s press conference, this is an “all hands on deck” moment for Tulane alumni, fans, supporters and everyone who recognizes the value of athletics and community. This is a once-in-a-century, game-changing, historic moment for Tulane University, and we need your support to make this dream a reality. Are you with us?
Have a great weekend,