TULANE TALK

May 4, 2007

Good Morning:

It is with mixed emotions that I announce that Reed Kroloff, dean of the School of Architecture, has accepted an appointment as director and campus architect of Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, effective September 1, 2007.

When Reed arrived at Tulane in 2004, I was confident that he would help lead the school to new heights. My confidence was well-founded as Reed instituted a new curriculum and raised over $1.5 million in endowment and program support.

Reed also guided the school through Katrina and its aftermath, maintaining its enrollment at more than 83 percent after the storm and, through Tulane City Center’s programs such as URBANbuild and the CITYbuild Consortium of Schools, took a lead in the continued rebuilding of New Orleans. Clearly, Reed will be missed both at Tulane and in New Orleans, but this is a great opportunity for him.

We will begin a national search for Reed’s replacement this fall. Until a permanent dean is hired, I am pleased to announce that Scott Bernhard, a faculty member of Tulane’s School of Architecture for more than 15 years, has been named interim dean of the school.

Scott is the recipient of numerous teaching awards including the “Inspirational Teacher Award,” a university-wide honor bestowed by Tulane. He is also an architect in private practice and has built more than a dozen structures in New Orleans and the surrounding region. Scott is also the co-author of a forthcoming book on New Orleans housing and the co-author of “An Introduction to New Orleans House Types,” an on line publication. His main focus of interest is in the area of multi-family housing.

I thank Scott for taking on this new role and Reed for his many contributions to Tulane and New Orleans.

Have a great weekend,

TULANE TALK

April 20, 2007

Dear Tulane Community:

This has been a profoundly sad week for the higher education community, as we mourn for our colleagues at Virginia Tech. Tulane University is no stranger to tragedy given the events of 2005. Nonetheless, the death of students and others with so much promise and life ahead of them leaves us despondent and reflective beyond words. Personally, I have not stopped thinking about this tragedy, the people it has impacted, its root causes and what it means for college campuses in the future.

I want to encourage everyone, if you have not already done so, to reach out to the Virginia Tech community in any way you feel is appropriate. I refer you to their website for information and reflection: http://www.vt.edu/

By their nature, college campuses are open, accessible havens that encourage the expansion of the mind and heart and the free flow of people and activities. Our challenge in the wake of this tragedy is to remain faithful to this concept of a campus, while having the necessary procedures in place to protect our people in the event campus sanctity is ever violated.

Tulane University already has an emergency preparedness plan in place to secure and protect our campus and its people in the event of certain disasters. Prior to Monday’s tragedy we were also in the process of establishing a system to deliver emergency information to students, faculty and staff in the form of text and voice messages.

We have also, prior to Monday, had in place a Student-at-Risk Committee, a group of university safety, health and academic officers who meet monthly to discuss and deal with any student whose behavior has raised concern among faculty, staff or fellow students. However, this tragic event has prompted us to review our policies and plans again for their appropriateness in the case of many different situations.

With this goal in mind, I have appointed a task force to examine these and other issues related to our emergency communication and security systems and to develop specific procedures to deal with events similar to the one that unfolded at Virginia Tech this week. In particular, we will focus on the efficacy of our communications procedures, security devices and response protocols.

This task force consists of members of our public safety, communications, student affairs, student health, legal counsel, environmental health and safety and technology departments, as well as student representatives. Many of the needed procedures are already in place or in the process of being established, however, further review will increase the probability that we have not overlooked any possible scenarios. This task force will begin its work immediately and put forth any suggested changes as soon as possible.

Finally, Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine has declared today a statewide day of mourning for the victims of Monday’s tragedy. In solidarity I have ordered that all campus flags be flown at half-mast today and for the remainder of this month. I also ask that each of you observe a moment of silence or prayer at 11 a.m. today for our Virginia Tech colleagues and friends.

TULANE TALK

April 13, 2007

Good Morning:

Hooray for Hollywood and for our English department for introducing a new creative writing class this semester taught by Tulane alumnus Sanford Panitch, president of Filmed Entertainment for New Regency Enterprises. At New Regency Sanford has supervised such films as “The Sentinel,” “Man on Fire,” ìGuess Who,” the “Big Mommaís House” series, ìUnfaithful,” “Donít Say a Word,” and “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.”

Prior to joining New Regency, Sanford was executive vice president of production at 20th Century Fox, where he helped create the “Doctor Doolittle,” franchise and oversaw such movies as “Entrapment,” “Fight Club,” “Office Space” and “Titantic.” Before joining Fox, Sanford served as executive vice president at Arnold Kopelson Productions where he was instrumental in developing such films as “The Fugitive,” “Outbreak,” “Falling Down” and “Seven.”

Sanford has donated his time, free of charge, to teach this course (including travel costs from LA to New Orleans each week) as a way to contribute to Tulane’s renewal after Katrina. He has also brought in several of his Hollywood colleagues as guest speakers for the class, including Andrew Jarecki, director and producer of the Academy Award-nominated documentary “Capturing the Friedmans,” “Robert Harling,” an accomplished screenwriter and playwright, whose works include “Steel Magnolias,” “Soapdish,” and “First-Wives Club,” Simon Kinberg, a screenwriter whose credits include “X-Men” and “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” and Peter Hyams, director of “Running Scared” and “End of Days.”

Speaking of the movies, I had a kind of “Freaky Friday” experience myself yesterday as I switched places with student April Lyn Pitts. I attended Aprilís psychology class, while she attended my meetings with a board member, the staff advisory council and student leaders. She even helped me with this Tulane Talk. See her message below. By the way, the class lecture was on the topic of psychological disorders. The professor was excellent. I dream of being a student again!

April participated in this switch because she was a winner in the Administrative Super Swap, a fundraiser benefiting CafÈ Reconcile. I was a winner because there was no test in her psychology class that day. She was fortunate because she did not have to deal with any really thorny issues.

P.S. To all of my peers and fellow classmates: This has been a wonderful experience for everyone, even Dr. Cowen. This message has been fully approved by me. Have a great weekend!

April Lyn Pitts

TULANE TALK

March 30, 2007

Good Morning:

For some time now I, like many of you I am sure, have been dismayed by the national news coverage our city has received. I have been pleased that the media continues to keep the national spotlight on our city’s recovery but perplexed as to why virtually every story out of New Orleans must focus exclusively on crime, devastation, graft, ineptitude or some other negative aspect.

This constant, 24-hour news cycle of negativity can have a deleterious effect, stifling tourism, investment and student recruitment in our city and further slowing the revival of the very neighborhoods whose lack of progress the national media so often decries.

In order to inject some balance into the coverage of New Orleans and spread the positive news of our economic and cultural revitalization, I have joined forces with New Orleans City Council Vice President Arnie Fielkow, Rod West, president and CEO of Entergy New Orleans, attorney Kim Boyle of Phelps Dunbar, LLC and other business and community leaders to form the Fleur-de-lis Ambassadors Program.

This diverse group includes more than 20 leaders, who come from all walks of life, neighborhoods and backgrounds but share the common goal of correcting the doomed vision of our city that many in the media portray. Can you believe that 19 months after the storm I still have people ask me if the floodwaters have receded from New Orleans?

By meeting with the media, business councils, civic groups, political leadership and philanthropic organizations in major cities around the country, the Fleur-de-lis Ambassadors will dismiss this and other misperceptions. They will also tout the positive aspects of the recovery and the fact that we are still the most unique city in all of America and are open for business.

We have assembled a great group of civic leaders for this task who are listed http. But actually, our best ambassadors are each of you. You can do a great deal to help get the word out about our recovery by sharing our story with friends and relatives both in far flung cities and neighboring parishes. Don’t let the national media be the only source of information about your hometown.

Have a great weekend,