Tulane Talk February 04, 2011
TULANE TALK
February 4, 2011
Good Morning:
I am writing this from our nation’s snowy capital where I am attending the first meeting of the White House Council for Community Solutions, a group of 26 men and women selected by President Obama to advise him on how to most effectively address the needs of communities throughout the country with a particular focus on disconnected youth.
While preparing for the meeting, I received the news that Tulane once again ranks among the nation’s top 25 medium-sized schools based on the number of graduates who serve in the Peace Corps. This ranking comes as no surprise given the culture of service at Tulane.
Whether it is the Peace Corps, Teach for America, AmeriCorps VISTA or any number of other local and national nonprofit organizations to which our graduates apply, Tulanians continue to demonstrate their commitment to making the world a better place.
Of course this effort is not restricted to nonprofits. Through our community engagement activities, Tulane is preparing a new generation of engaged citizens and leaders who measure success not only by the income they earn but by the positive impact they make in helping alleviate hunger, poverty, environmental degradation and a host of other societal ills.
I am convinced that this incredible level of community engagement and service by Tulane students, alumni, faculty and staff is the reason I was appointed to the council.
And while we are talking about rankings, did you see that the Green Wave is ranked 25 in Baseball America’s preseason poll? I can’t wait for the opening pitch of the 2011 season.
Have a great weekend,
Tulane Talk January 28, 2011
TULANE TALK
January 28, 2011
Good Morning:
“Empower” is a word you hear a lot these days. Like any buzzword, it’s a term that can be used and misused so often it loses its meaning.
At Tulane, “empower” is not only a word, it’s an ethos and a call to action. It’s students helping to track the path of the BP oil spill or repairing medical equipment in Tanzania or tutoring in local schools. It’s Tulane law faculty helping Mardi Gras Indians gain the same copyright protection for their creations that other artists enjoy. It’s Tulane doctors opening health centers for the uninsured. It’s Tulane employees staffing those centers or volunteering for a day of service. It’s Tulane alumni coming back year after year to aid the city’s recovery by building homes and hope.
These are just a few of the amazing stories of Tulane Empowers, a new program that enables Tulane students, faculty, staff and alumni to bring about positive change in New Orleans and around the world. You can view short videos of Tulane Empowers in action online.
By their sheer size, economic impact and human capital, universities are dominant members of their communitiesóanchor institutions. The challenge is to use this unique position for the betterment of others. Tulane Empowers is our answer to this challenge. Let me know if you like our answer and want to be a part of it.
P.S. Even though the Saints are not going to the Super Bowl this year, you can still “be in that number” by winning two tickets to the big game and helping to empower Tulane at the same time. For details visit the http website.
Have a great weekend,
Tulane Talk January 21, 2011
TULANE TALK
January 21, 2011
Good Morning:
What do Miley Cyrus, Valerie Plame, Joseph Wilson and Deborah Bial have in common? This isn’t a question from Jay Leno’s “Jaywalking” series. The answer is all four are making appearances at Tulane University this month.
Miley is filming the movie “So Undercover,” in which she plays an FBI agent who goes undercover as a college student to protect the potential target of a mob hit. I happened upon a scene being shot on campus this weekend. Accompanied by the photogenic Gibson, I was hoping to get cast as an extra. But the only direction I got was to move out of the shot.
Tuesday, Jan. 25, offers a doubleheader of engaging speakers on campus. Joseph Wilson and Valerie Plame Wilson will discuss “The Politics of Truth: Inside the Valerie Plame/CIA Leak Controversy” at 7 p.m. in McAlister Auditorium. At the same time Deborah Bial, founder of the Posse Foundation, which recruits and trains urban public high school students and sends them to the country’s top universities, including Tulane, will speak at Freeman Auditorium in the Woldenberg Art Center.
Both talks are free and open to the public. I have yet to decide which one to attend. Such are the choices one faces at a university that consistently attracts such diverse and in-demand scholars and personalities.
Finally, as promised, I will now report on the progress of my goal to lose 15 pounds by September 1, 2011. The good news is I did not gain any weight over the holidays. The other news is that I only lost six-tenths of a pound. I need to walk with Gibson more often. My next weight report will show more progress.
Have a great weekend,
Tulane Talk January 14, 2011
TULANE TALK
January 14, 2011
Good Morning:
Next week, as we have done for the past 25 years, Tulane will join Xavier, Loyola and Dillard universities in celebrating the life and dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through community service, song, dance and unity.
The 25th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Week for Peace will also honor civil rights icon Ruby Bridges who, at age 6, became a symbol of the civil rights movement when she integrated William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans. I am looking forward to meeting Ruby and to all the http of this special week.
I am so proud that Tulane is a visible participant in our community’s annual honoring of Dr. King. While so much progress has been made toward realizing his dream, more work is left to be done. In so many ways Dr. King’s message is as important today as it was on that summer day in 1963 when he proclaimed it to the nation.
But even if 47 years seems like a long time to wait for a dream to come true, we should have hope. As Dr. King said in his famous “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech the day before his death: “I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land.”
Have a great Week of Peace,
Tulane Talk January 07, 2011
TULANE TALK
January 7, 2011
Good Morning:
Happy New Year!
It’s nice to have all of you back after the holidays. I certainly hope you enjoyed your break. I spent mine in Germany visiting our daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren who are living in Berlin this year. One of the highlights of the trip was having our grandchildren, ages five and nine, serve as my translators. They did a marvelous job, although I did notice that every meal I ordered came with ice cream.
The New Year started off right for Tulane with coach Lisa Stockton posting her 400th win this week. Actually, with last night’s victory, make that 401. Achieving this milestone ranks Lisa (already the winningest women’s basketball coach in Tulane and Conference USA history) among the top 50 of all currently active NCAA women’s basketball coaches.
Lisa’s is a storied career marked by tournament championships, Coach of the Year honors and the mentoring of All-Americans and future WNBA players. But her greatest source of pride is the fact that every four-year player she has coached at Tulane has graduated, many with high academic honors. Lisa is an example of the great things that happen when hard work, dedication, pride, talent and teamwork come together.
She has our respect and deserves our support. So come out to Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse Thursday, Jan. 13, at 7 p.m. and cheer Lisa on as she guides the Green Wave against East Carolina. Also donít forget to support our red-hot (11-3) men’s team as they battle SMU tomorrow at 1 p.m. in Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse followed by the Saints’ big game against Seattle.
Have a great weekend,
Tulane Talk December 17, 2010
TULANE TALK
December 17, 2010
Itís been another wonderful year at Tulane University. As we approach our winter break I want to share with you this special holiday message from Marjorie and me. Its theme is how Tulane celebrates the spirit of the season year-round by giving to those in need — from schoolchildren in New Orleans to the sick and injured in Haiti, Honduras, Tanzania and beyond.
Tulane Talk December 10, 2010
TULANE TALK
December 10, 2010
Good Morning:
Best-selling author, reporter, New York Times columnist and three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas Friedman will deliver the keynote address and receive an honorary doctorate from Tulane at Commencement 2011.
Tom has occupied a front row seat for many of the major events that have shaped our world – Lebanon’s civil war in the 1970s, the fall of the Berlin Wall in the 1980s, the Clinton White House of the 1990s, the attacks of 9/11 and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. He has also written eloquently about the world and its current position at the intersection of the new (technology, the Internet and the resulting globalization) and the old (“passions of nationalism, ethnicity, religion, geography and cultureî).
Tom’s most recent book Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution and How It Can Renew America is his fifth consecutive bestseller and was read by President Barack Obama on his 2009 summer vacation. Conversely, his columns have also supported President George W. Bush’s decision to invade Iraq and his 1989 book From Beirut to Jerusalem is still used as a high school and university textbook on the Middle East.
We are fortunate to have such an influential, respected and independent thinker for this year’s Commencement speaker. This will only add to the excitement that is building around our salute to the extraordinary class of 2011. For more information on this year’s special Commencement, visit http://tulane.edu/grads/.
Have a great weekend,
Tulane Talk December 03, 2010
TULANE TALK
December 3, 2010
Good Morning:
This evening I leave for Qatar where I will speak at the “World Innovation Summit for Education.” The summit will bring together world leaders in education, business and government to discuss the most innovative ways to prepare students to meet the challenges of our rapidly changing and increasingly interconnected world.
While in Qatar I also plan to meet with a number of officials including the Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage; the U.S. Ambassador to Qatar; the directors of the Qatar Science and Technology Park (which is home to technology-based companies from around the world) and others.
The summit will provide an opportunity to tell, on a world stage, the remarkable story of Tulaneís and New Orleans’ recovery, which includes the extraordinary and continuing transformation of our K-12 public education system. It will also give me an opportunity to express again our gratitude for the $15 million in funding received from the Qatar Foundation, a private, non-profit organization founded by His Highness the Emir of Qatar, in support of our student scholarships and community health initiatives.
This funding came not long after Katrina and was deeply appreciated and needed. I will tell you more about my visit when I return.
Have a great weekend,
Tulane Talk November 19, 2010
TULANE TALK
November 19, 2010
Good Morning:
1) My family, including Gibson (our Golden Retriever).
2) Tulane University, with the best students, faculty and staff of any university in the country.
3) Knowing that through its community service, research and innovations, Tulane is helping create a new New Orleans.
These are just a few of the reasons why I am so thankful. I know you will make your own lists as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday. If I don’t see you before then, I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing time with your family and friends.
Have a great weekend and Thanksgiving,
Tulane Talk November 12, 2010
TULANE TALK
November 12, 2010
Good Morning:
Recently, Marjorie and I welcomed our third grandchild into the world. His name is Henry Cowen Russell. He weighed in at 6 pounds, 15 ounces. To properly assimilate Henry into the family and the Tulane community, we are surrounding him with all things Tulane. Here is his first public photo… (Click it to enlarge.)
From my perspective, you can never introduce young people to Tulane too early. Our two oldest grandchildren, Louise and Toby, are already well-acquainted with the university and New Orleans.
Marjorie and I are really enjoying the “grandchildren phaseî of our lives.
P.S. I regret to admit that I had no weight change in October. I have no excuses (at least not legitimate ones) for this lack of progress. However, I plan to do better even though the holiday season is just a few weeks away.
Have a great weekend,