Tulane University
November 15, 2019
Tulane University is one of the hottest universities in the country right now. More than just an academic destination, Tulane has ascended to new relevance in the diverse, southern cultural metropolis of New Orleans, Louisiana.
From what I have learned, Tulane University is a place deeply connected to its home city. When the levees failed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, New Orleans was inundated causing loss of life and property; Tulane's campus was damaged. The university closed for an entire semester and its students were temporarily welcomed at other colleges and universities around the country. When New Orleans started to rebuild, Tulane rebuilt, too. As I make my way to campus this morning on the St. Charles streetcar, I am eager to see what this place holds in store.
I arrive at Tulane on a stunning, crisp November morning. The campus is resplendent against the backdrop of the blue sky.
The admission lobby is staffed by students. They are competent, easy-going, and clearly enjoying their work. I am invited to relax in the waiting room. The schedule calls for a short thirty-minute information session and a ninety-minute campus tour. There is quiet banter among the visitors; students are excited to be here.
The information session does not disappoint. It is succinct and focused. Senior Admission Counselor Max Manasevit holds a master's degree and a background in international aid and development; he makes a compelling case for the institution. Max tells us that when he moved to New Orleans and encountered Tulane students and grads on the front lines of social service and progress, he was intrigued. He traced the students to their source.
On the smaller end of the Tier 1 Research category with 6750 undergrads, Tulane offers extraordinary academic resources for an institution its size. With an astounding 8:1 student-to-teacher ratio, students can expect smaller classes, taught by professors rather than TA's, and ample face-time with said profs.
According to Max, Tulane students are adventurous and engaged in their community. They come from across the country and around the world to study in a rigorous, collegial, yet relaxed atmosphere. Tulane students study everything from STEM to art history and preservation, from jazz to finance. On this last point, senior Tulane students control the investment of US$50,000,000 of the university's endowment each year.
In 2006, almost immediately after Katrina, Tulane established a public service requirement, which is fully integrated into the academic program. Beginning in the first year, students engage in service and outreach relevant to their current interests; over time the service-learning is directly tied to a student's course of study and academic major. Today, Tulane understands that it has an obligation to alleviate suffering and make the world a better place and that students share in this obligation. Tulane understands that students at wealthy, high-resourced, selective institutions have an obligation to give back, and to make good on their privilege. Every Tulane student gives back to New Orleans and the greater region. I dare venture everybody wins in this arrangement.
The city of New Orleans is over three hundred years old. It is truly diverse, a cultural melting pot, creole. New Orleans culture, architecture, music, and cuisine are well known. But this city is in the midst of an economic renaissance. Tulane students are fortunate to live here and I applaud their engagement with their city.
My impression is that Tulane used the impetus of hurricane Katrina to renew itself, to re-envision its mission, and to re-invent itself along new and better lines. Today, service and civic engagement are themes that run through every facet of the university, from admission, to graduation, and beyond.
On to the campus tour.
I hopped on Robert's campus tour, and I'm happy I did. Robert is from Japan and talked about life at Tulane from the perspective of both a US citizen and a student who's grown up overseas.
Tulane's campus is suburban and inward-facing. The 110-acre campus is constructed as a series of quads nested in a large rectangular footprint. The older buildings show age in places but are well maintained on the whole. The campus is next to Loyola University of New Orleans. Both campuses face St. Charles Avenue, but the Tulane campus is more expansive.
The campus is dotted with stately live oaks alongside pathways and roads. Most quads are small, and the few larger open-spaces are rectangular, lending to a formal, urban-planned campus vibe. I can see the appeal for city lovers, but nature lovers will need to get off campus to get their fix. Across St. Charles Avenue lies the Audubon Park with miles of running trails, birding, and a view overlooking the Mississippi River.
As the tour progresses, we move from the old campus center to some new construction. There is a market stand and a foodcart selling crepes.
As we progress it is evident by the number of cranes on campus that not only does Tulane have the coin (US$1,400,000,000 endowment), it is willing to invest in some stunning new spaces.
Case in point: the brand new, unfinished Goldring/Woldenburg Business complex is taking this "Green Wave" thing to the next level.
Tulane has made spectacular improvements to its physical plant in the decade since Katrina. In some ways the timing was favorable for the university. Colleges that undertook renovations in the '80s, '90s, and '00s haven't aged well on the whole. The major run-up of Tulane's endowment has enabled it to build a series of iconic new spaces.
It's worth mentioning that Tulane has emerged as a major destination for international students studying in the US. Thank you Tulane for supporting (and celebrating) this.
Tulane describes itself as, "having the resources of a big school, yet choosing to be small." I find this to be true. Today I see students smiling and greeting each other as we make our way through campus. I see professors interacting with students in the bright sunshine. I see students tabling in a voter registration initiative and many fellow students stopping to say hello. My sense is that this is a place where students will feel at home as part of a close-knit community, yet won't feel socially limited or isolated.
This intention to, "be small" is even more compelling when one has both the institutional resources and the academic heft that Tulane offers, as well as the energy of a new and inspired mission. As one example of the close community vibe consider the Doughnut Day tradition in which the Dean of the Newcomb-Tulane College hosts students, faculty, and staff for coffee and doughnuts on each Friday morning at 9:00 am throughout the semester.
Tulane is a place that is emphatically warm and welcoming. From my morning arrival, to my campus tour, to my chance meeting with Satya Dattagupta, the university's Vice President and Dean of Admission, I feel welcome on campus. Perhaps this warmth and welcome is part of Tulane's ascendency. I hope that this quality can be retained long after Tulane has attained its place in the firmament of the top colleges and universities in the US.
Whatever the reason for your visit, you must dine on Tulane's campus. The Commons is an extraordinary new facility that serves food all day and doubles as a study and hangout space each night until 2:00 am. You will find many kitchens across two stories offering elevated fare, regional cuisine, veg and vegan options, and a huge salad bar. The space is gleaming with artistic glass tile, walls of windows, and high-end appointments. The Commons staff are super friendly.
Can I tell you how amazing this food is? Alongside that perfect salad bar you will find American and international cuisine as well as every sort of regional food that Louisiana offers - I tucked into the red beans and braised pork belly - served with pride by a staff that clearly enjoy working here. All stations are clearly marked with ingredients, calories, and the symbols Vegetarian, Vegan, and Mindful. Today for dessert I am minding this epic Cinnamon Chipotle Pumpkin Bread Pudding! Thank you and huge respect to The Commons staff!
Residence life is varied on the Tulane campus. Many dormitories don't match the gleaming glass-and-steel of Tulane's new construction. As it should be. Students are hard on their living spaces, and it's a refreshing change that the tour present something other than the newest dorms on campus. In addition to standard housing options, Tulane is experimenting with Residential Learning Communities which bring students together under an academic, social, or extracurricular theme. Gender inclusive housing is available on an opt-in basis. I hope that gender inclusive will soon be the norm. Final note: first and second year students are required to live on campus.
On the whole, any student would be so lucky to live and learn on this campus. Life in the heart of the Crescent City is utterly appealing. Our tour guide, Robert, is describing the music scene on campus and in the city. One night he is downtown seeing a funk band with Tulanian origins, the next night he is seated in Tulane's grandest music hall in the audience of New Orleans jazz partriach, jazz's greatest living ambassador, Ellis Marsalis.
Image Credit: Tulane University/Ryan Rivet
Tulane's commitment to its city is a theme that is reinforced throughout my visit. Too often a college struggles to relate to its environs, to be a good community member, a net contributor. It is clear to me that this theme is no veneer of virtuosity; it is integral to the place. Tulane's transformation is so complete that it strikes me that other colleges and universities would do well to re-invision their mission and purpose along similar lines.
Granted it took the unimaginable tragedy of Hurricane Katrina to spur such a transformation, and I must not minimize the suffering, loss of life, or the fact that the brunt of the suffering was borne by the city's black community, yet it is important to attribute Tulane's transformation to the fact of it's damage, closure, and renovation. This is a case of an institution that sustained a terrible impact, absorbed the perspective it offered, committed to its own transformation and renewal, and today stands stronger for it.
Yesterday when I stopped into my car rental spot downtown, I was greeted by one young man wearing a Tulane varsity jacket and another wearing a Tulane hat. It is heartening to see that a college that was once perceived as pretentious and inaccessible has so thoroughly reconnected with its local community.
As I reflect on my day riding the St. Charles streetcar, I am enormously impressed with Tulane University. While I still have many questions about Tulane's academic and intellectual culture, I am confident that this is a place that I will recommend to students often.
Tonight we catch a set at Snug Harbor. It's the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, led by none other than the trombone great Delfeayo Marsalis. Yes.
