Tulane Talk May 25, 2001
TULANE TALK
May 25, 2001
Good Morning:
I just got back from Washington, D.C. where I attended the American Council on Education’s Board of Directors meeting. The council includes about 1,600 accredited, degree-granting institutions and, among other functions, represents higher education before Congress, federal agencies and the Supreme Court. I was elected to the council’s board of directors in February. While in D.C., I also had an opportunity to meet with alumni and with U.S. Rep. Bill Jefferson (D-New Orleans), U.S. Rep. Richard Baker (R-Baton Rouge) and officials from Senators Landrieu’s and Breaux’s offices. Our congressional delegation continues to be very helpful to Tulane.
I hope you all enjoyed last week’s commencement activities as much as I did. The “Wave Goodbye” was another smashing success and the next day’s commencement was truly a memorable event. Our speaker, Marian Wright Edelman, told me ours was one of the finest commencements she had ever attended. I can’t say enough about her address or the one delivered by our student speaker D. Hamilton Simons-Jones. What a combination those two were! Visit http Tulane web site to see many great photos of commencement fun. All in all, I think Commencement 2001 was the perfect ending to a very productive academic year.
With the coming of summer, I have decided that this will be the last Tulane Talk until the beginning of the fall semester. (That better not be cheering I hear!) Of course, if there is some pressing information I think you need to know about I will be sure to drop you a line.
I’ve really enjoyed these little “chats” and all the feedback I have received from you regarding them. I hope they have helped further my goal of improving university-wide communication.
Thank you for all your support this year. In the fall, I will provide an overview of this past year in Town Hall meetings and in other forums but I wanted to make sure you knew how much I appreciate your continued hard work and efforts on behalf of Tulane.
Oh, and don’t forget to come out and enjoy our fabulous baseball team this weekend. We are hosting an NCAA regional and are currently ranked No. 5 in the country.
Have a great summer!
Tulane Talk May 18, 2001
TULANE TALK
May 18, 2001
Good Morning:
This sure has been a busy week. We had a great four days in San Francisco meeting with alumni, friends, students and parents. By all accounts, the events were very well received by everyone. We even had John Madden, the famous, Emmy-winning sports announcer speak at one of our functions. One outcome of the trip is that we are now able to announce another new member of the Board of Administrators: Dr. Elias Hanna (Med ’63). Dr. Hanna is founder and president of San Francisco Cardiovascular Surgeons Medical Group, Inc. and owner of the Hanna Winery in Santa Rosa. He is also president of the Hanna Cardiovascular Foundation, a charitable organization that assists countries that do not have the capability to perform open heart surgery.
Speaking of the Board, we had our quarterly meetings this week. The composition of the Board has changed significantly in recent years and I am very impressed with how hard they work on behalf of Tulane University. This is a very serious, dedicated group who care deeply about this university and is really making a positive difference. Their questions are thoughtful and their suggestions are always on the mark. They are functioning as a highly effective group.
Well, Commencement Weekend is finally upon us. As you know, here in New Orleans we do things a little differently than anywhere else and we have a real New Orleans send-off planned for our graduates. Last night we started things off with a crawfish boil for our 50-year graduates as well as recent ones. The party was truly a blast!
We’ll continue our celebration this evening at 7 p.m. with the popular Wave Goodbye Celebration featuring some great New Orleans food along with music by The Radiators and The Funky Meters.
Saturday’s 9:30 a.m. Commencement ceremony in the Superdome will include plenty of jazz music, confetti, balloons and a second-line around the Dome in addition to the traditional “pomp and circumstance,” and a keynote speech by Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund.
We are proud members of the New Orleans community and want to give our students’ families, many of whom are not from here, a taste of our city’s culture. Our many graduates who are from here can make sure I second-line correctly. It may not be “The Benson Boogie” but I’ll do my best.
The student speaker for this year’s Commencement will be D. Hamilton Simons-Jones, a classics and political science major whose years at Tulane were devoted to the service of others. Among the distinguished members of the Commencement Platform Party will be former Ambassador to the Vatican Lindy Boggs, a lifelong friend of Tulane.
It’s been a productive year and it’s going to be a great weekend. I hope to see you all there.
Tulane Talk May 11, 2001
TULANE TALK
May 11, 2001
Good Morning:
I’m writing Tulane Talk today from San Francisco where, for the next few days, I will meet with alumni, foundation directors and other potential supporters. I will also attend a reception for 400 alumni at the Hanna Winery Estates. Our host will be Tulane Med School alumnus and winegrower Elias Hanna.
On Monday, I met with members of the general medical faculty at the Health Sciences Center. I try to meet with faculty from each school at least once a year to update various groups on current university initiatives and to answer questions and receive suggestions. I also hold these kinds of meetings with student leaders from across the campus and with the Staff Advisory Council. Among other benefits, I hope these meetings improve university-wide communications and reinforce a sense of unity within the university.
Tuesday, I met with members of the Office of Student Affairs to discuss the planned major renovation of the University Center. As its name implies, this building is central to the life of the university, especially for undergraduates. I think you’ll like the plans we have in store which could include the construction of another floor, the expansion of the bookstore and computer lab and the addition of a theater.
Wednesday, I met with the University Senate’s Committee on Affirmative Action. The committee is currently working on plans to ensure that Tulane is a diverse and welcoming community for all who work or study here. I will create a university-wide Presidential Task Force this fall to advise me and the campus on how we should proceed in addressing these important issues.
Last Sunday afternoon more than 100 people showed up in front of Number #2 Audubon. They weren’t looking for “Wave Goodbye” tickets. They were concerned about Tulane’s plans for a portion of property at Uptown Square. You can read http response on the web.
Hope you have a good weekend,
Tulane Talk May 07, 2001
TULANE TALK
May 7, 2001
Good Morning:
With a mixture of sadness and enormous appreciation for her service to Newcomb College, I announce to you today that Valerie Greenberg is leaving her position as Dean of Newcomb College and is taking a leave of absence as a professor from Tulane University. Valerie has been on leave as dean since last December as a result of a family illness. This situation now requires her to remain in the New York area for an extended period of time.
Valerie was named interim dean of Newcomb in July, 1997 and began her tenure as full-time dean in February, 1998. As dean she initiated the Dean’s Advisory Council, a group of Newcomb Alumnae who advised the dean regarding Newcomb’s present programs and future plans. Ever mindful of the crucial importance of student input, she also began the Dean’s Student Advisory Council, whose members included first-year through senior-year students. It was this group’s suggestion that led to the creation of the student lounge in Caroline Richardson Hall where students have a room of their own to gather, study or visit.
To encourage students to pursue research projects begun at Newcomb after they graduate, Valerie supported the creation of the Josephine Louise Fellowship program. She also supported the creation of the “IN”tensive Newcomb program, the Newcomb-sponsored living/learning community. Turning to an issue particularly close to her heart, Valerie created the Feral Cat project, an initiative that humanely and creatively addressed the cat overpopulation problem on campus.
We are all deeply grateful to Valerie for her dedication to Newcomb College, its students, and alumnae. We all hope for Valerie’s speedy return to the Tulane family.
Cynthia Lowenthal, Associate Professor of English, has been serving as Acting Newcomb Dean since last December and has agreed to continue to serve in this role for the foreseeable future. Provost designee Lester Lefton will confer with all of the appropriate constituencies next fall about the timetable and process for appointing a permanent dean. In the meantime, we all want to thank Cynthia for her leadership during this critical time.
Tulane Talk May 04, 2001
TULANE TALK
May 4, 2001
Good Morning:
Can you believe the semester is almost over? This is always an exciting and bittersweet time of the year. I’m sure most of you will soon be saying goodbye to some special student you have come to know as a pupil, co-worker or friend. In the President’s Office alone four wonderful student workers are graduating.
Of course, we’ll all stay in touch with our graduates and we can all get together for one last “hurrah” at the popular Wave Goodbye Party on May 18 from 7 to 10:30 p.m. on the Gibson Quad. The celebration will feature great New Orleans food and great New Orleans music by The Radiators and The Funky Meters.
Every Tulane employee will get two free admission tickets to share in the fun and “Wave Goodbye” to our friends. But in order to attend the celebration you must pick up your admission tickets. For ticket pick-up times and locations visit the http web site.
I spent this week interviewing candidates for our Chief Information Officer/VP for Technology position, hosting a faculty luncheon, attending the last Senate meeting of the year, meeting with the new Advisory Council on Alcohol Policy, conferring with the Advisory Council for Planned Gifts and meeting with the Board of Governors for the Health Sciences Center.
This weekend I will attend a series of events sponsored by the Tulane Alumni Association, including the association’s annual awards brunch on Sunday. Honorees will include Senate President John Hainkel and American Bar Association President Martha Walters Barnett. (I told you we stay in touch with our graduates). Information on http this event is available.
I hope to see you at the Wave Goodbye celebration, if not sooner. Have a great weekend!
Tulane Talk April 27, 2001
TULANE TALK
April 27, 2001
Good Morning:
This week started out in D.C. at the spring meeting of the Association of American Universities. This group is comprised of the Presidents and Chancellors of the 59 leading research universities in the U.S. and Canada. In celebration of the association’s 100th anniversary, the Presidents of the top 50 universities from around the world joined us for a series of discussions about the future of higher education. It was a fascinating meeting highlighted by separate sessions with Secretary of State Colin Powell and His Highness the Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims.
On Tuesday, I traveled to the “Big Apple” for meetings with alumni, parents and board members. New York, incidentally, has the largest concentration of Tulane alumni and parents outside of Louisiana.
On Thursday we had a fascinating joint meeting of the Board’s Endowment and Technology Committees to discuss the university’s emerging technology transfer strategy. This has been a topic of discussion in various university forums this year and the Board has taken a great deal of interest in the subject. For those of you wanting to know more about the topic, I have http the speech I gave yesterday for the Health Sciences Center’s Research Days Awards Ceremony on the history and importance of technology transfer, the commercial application of research, as part of a university’s mission.
Under interim Provost Paul Barron and the Graduate Council, a team of outstanding external reviewers visited the campus a few months ago to discuss and review the history and current state of our Graduate School and its programs. This week the team provided us with a blueprint, including specific recommendations, for the future of the Graduate School. Its implementation will be a high priority for the new Provost beginning next fall and has my enthusiastic endorsement.
In between the above events, Margie and I got an opportunity to recognize and honor employees celebrating 25 years of service at Tulane. I also attended the last concert of the year by Green Envy, Tulane’s wonderful a cappella group, and updated the Provost’s Council on events at the university. If time permits, I would like to see our baseball team, currently ranked 9th in the nation, play this weekend. Kudos to our men’s and women’s tennis teams who won the Conference USA championships this week. Enjoy your weekend!
P.S. I’ve received quite a few inquiries regarding the pink flamingoes on the front lawn of Number 2 Audubon. These aren’t permanent lawn decorations but are rather a clever promotion from the folks presenting the upcoming “Zoo-To-Do.”
Tulane Talk April 20, 2001
TULANE TALK
April 20, 2001
Good Morning:
This week began with a continuation of last week’s concentration on our public housing initiatives. On Monday, I and members of the Tulane-Xavier National Center for the Urban Community met with residents of the C.J. Peete Housing Development to assess our Campus Affiliates Program, an effort of Tulane and Xavier to address the problems of poverty in public housing and, in particular, at C.J. Peete.
On Tuesday, Paul Whelton and I accompanied a group of representatives from the A. B. Freeman School of Business, The Center For Gene Therapy, the Cancer Center, the Tulane-Xavier National Center for Excellence in Women’s Health, the School of Public Health, Alumni Affairs, Admissions, Project Return, Service Learning and many other facets of the university to the State Capitol. We transformed the rotunda of the Capitol into a Green Wave smorgasbord of sorts, featuring samples of Tulane at its best.
I had the honor of addressing both houses of the state legislature. Our group didn’t get back to New Orleans until after midnight. No, I didn’t speak that long. I also attended a reception with legislative leaders and had dinner with Congressman Billy Tauzin.
On Wednesday I had lunch with the resident managers from several public housing developments to assess the partnership we have had with the Housing Authority of New Orleans since 1996. Thursday I attended the Student Leaders Luncheon downtown and that evening spoke at the Student Crest Awards, an event that recognizes student achievement in all areas of service and scholarship.
This weekend I’ll attend the induction of the newly formed chapter of the Golden Key Honor Society that recognizes the top academic achievers of the junior and senior classes. I’ll also attend a fund-raiser for Summer Lyric and the retirement party for outgoing Law School Dean Ed Sherman. Ed was instrumental in helping Tulane’s Law School achieve the national stature and recognition it now enjoys. Tulane will long remember him and his accomplishments.
Have a great weekend.
Tulane Talk April 17, 2001
TULANE TALK
April 17, 2001
Good Morning:
I hope everyone had a wonderful three day weekend. This week starts with good news.
I am pleased to announce that Andy Heck, Assistant Vice President of University Human Resources at Indiana University, has accepted our offer to become Vice President of Human Resources, effective July 1.
Andy has extensive experience as a human resource professional in higher education and in business. Since 1995, he has served in a senior level human resource position at Indiana University. Prior to his Indiana appointment, he was Director of Human Resources at the University of Arizona from 1992-1995. Andy also has human resource experience with the Walt Disney Company, where he served in a number of human resource positions from 1979-1992.
Andy’s experience and accomplishments are impressive. They align perfectly with the challenges we face at Tulane University as we continue to implement the “People” section of our strategic plan. Under Andy’s leadership, we expect the Human Resource Department to even more effectively serve the needs of our faculty and staff.
I want to thank Yvette Jones, Senior Vice President for Planning and Administration, and her Search Committee for bringing this search to a successful conclusion.
Tulane Talk April 12, 2001
TULANE TALK
April 12, 2001
Good Morning:
Well the weather is perfect for the many prospective undergraduate students visiting us for this year’s “Tulane Days.” This program gives students who have been accepted to Tulane a real taste of university life through classroom visits, faculty meetings, overnight stays and other activities. By the way, applications are way up this year and our incoming class is shaping up to be the most academically qualified ever.
This week we hosted a meeting of the National Housing Conference, a federal agency that seeks solutions to the country’s housing crisis. The primary topic was affordability of housing in New Orleans. There was a good turnout from a cross section of community leaders at the meeting. We felt that hosting this meeting was an important extension of the university’s continued efforts in addressing the issue of housing.
Yesterday we convened the first meeting of the Louisiana Council, whose honorary chairs are former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Lindy Boggs and State Senate President John Hainkel. The Louisiana Council is a group of alumni from throughout the state who are interested in bringing Tulane’s message to their hometowns. We first conceived of this group during last fall’s “Hometown Tour” of the state.
Dr. Leena Ala-Kokko of the Tulane Center for Gene Therapy has been a real media star this week. As co-author of an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association on lumbar disk disease, she has been interviewed by CBS News, ABC News, Reuters, the Associated Press, Agency France Press, CBS Radio and others.
Were you able to witness our baseball team’s thrilling come-from-behind victory over No. 2-ranked LSU last night? I thought you might enjoy http photo of Riptide with his new-found friend: a real Tiger slayer.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday break.
Tulane Talk April 06, 2001
TULANE TALK
April 6, 2001
Good Morning:
This has been a good week. We were able to make two first-rate appointments for the dean positions at the School of Medicine and Law School. Ian Taylor and Larry Ponoroff are wonderful additions to the senior academic administrative team.
On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to be the master of ceremonies for the investiture of Dr. Gerald Berenson to the Gerald S. Berenson Chair in Preventive Cardiology. Gerry is a world-renowned cardiologist best known for his Bogalusa Heart Study which, since 1972, has tracked the cardiovascular health of more than 17,000 children and young adults in Bogalusa. This study has provided data that is crucial in understanding the development and progression of cardiovascular disease. It was a pleasure to recognize Gerry’s many contributions as a scholar, educator and clinician.
This week we are also hosting a NCAA Peer Review Team as part of the re-certification process of our Athletics Department. The visit has been extremely interesting. The team reviews four areas within the department: governance and commitment to rules compliance, academic integrity, fiscal integrity and equity, welfare and sportsmanship. When we get feedback from the visit I will share it with you as I did in the case of the SACS re-accreditation process.
Finally, Tulane is hosting or sponsoring a number of high profile events this week including The Tulane-Cambridge Conference, April 5-7, yesterday’s visit by Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and, in conjunction with Loyola, the 62nd Annual Association of Southeastern Biologists meeting April 4-7.
I am extremely proud of the people on campus who have worked so hard to make these activities possible for all of us. This is university life at its best!
Enjoy the weekend,