Enhancing the Student Experience
Since arriving at Tulane, President Fitts has focused on creating formative experiences that shape our students in and out of the classroom. Whether it’s in the lab, on the field, or at the dining table, Tulane spaces foster collaboration, encourage innovation and enhance learning.
President Fitts believes that, at their very best, universities bring together people from every corner of the world and connect them in the most unexpected ways. Spaces like the Commons create these moments of synchronicity, where ideas are born, and problems are solved – sometimes over a meal.
The Commons
One of the most exciting additions to student experience can be found at the newly opened Commons. Located in the heart of Tulane’s uptown campus, the Commons is a 77,000 square-foot marvel that combines student life, academics, research, inquiry and, in true New Orleans style, a wide variety of food.
Nestled among centuries-old oak trees and offering commanding views of the Berger Family Lawn and Newcomb Quad, the Commons is steps away from student residences, the Howard-Tilton Memorial Library and other essential spaces at Tulane. It is connected by walkway to the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life and in spirit to the heart and soul of the Tulane experience.
Students gather with faculty, staff and visitors at the Commons – broadening the intellectual life of the university and building an even stronger sense of Tulane community.
Newcomb Institute in the Commons
The Commons brings all of the operations of the Newcomb Institute, which educates undergraduates for women’s leadership in the 21st century, under a single roof at the center of campus life. The Institute’s new home on the third floor features an open-air courtyard, an area for archives and special collections, a library with a dedicated reading room, media labs, meeting rooms, a beautiful event space and offices for the Newcomb Alumnae Association.
Dining at the Commons
The Commons also houses Tulane’s new state-of-the-art dining room, which occupies two floors and offers multiple dining platforms, a rotating menu of local and international cuisine and a Chef’s Table demonstration kitchen. With more than 1,000 seats for eating, studying and conversation, Dining at the Commons fosters community and builds relationships. When dinner service ends, the dining room will stay open to provide late night student engagement and study space until 2 a.m. It will also feature a market offering snacks, beverages, to-go meals and more.
Center for Academic Equity
Recognizing an urgent need, in 2017 President Fitts authorized the creation of the Center for Academic Equity as a hub of services for first-generation college students, LGBTQ+ students, and students of color.
Housing and Residential Life
Community is at the heart of the Tulane experience. Our residence halls are more than just beds and bathrooms, they are dynamic, living, learning communities centered on academic inquiry, discovery and the creation of lifelong friendships.
Tulane’s 14 residence halls are positioned throughout our campuses to maximize innovative learning, collaboration and creativity among a diverse student population representing all 50 states and nearly as many countries. In these communities, students grow intellectually and socially while creating memories that will last a lifetime.
As part of President Fitts’ master plan for the university nearly every current residence hall will be renovated and the old dining hall will be replaced with a new, unified first-year residential quad. This will greatly expand our academically-themed Residential Learning Communities, promoting cross-cultural friendships and social/academic interactions that will serve our students well during their college years and beyond.
Residential Learning Communities
Through our faculty-in-residence program professors live in first-year residential halls, mentoring students as they adjust to college life and begin their journey as scholars. Students enroll in seminars aligned to the theme of their Residential Learning Community, exploring numerous subjects, including the ever fascinating and ever enchanting culture of New Orleans. These courses take place in classrooms located within the residence hall, allowing students to join their dorm neighbors to explore subjects in which they have a high interest and in areas that fire the imagination.
Changemaker RLC
The Changemaker Residential Learning Community inspires students to attain a changemaker mindset using tools such as empathy, optimism, questioning, and observation. Through increased self-reflection, campus and community awareness, and purposeful action, residents will develop their changemaking toolkit.
Get Engaged RLC
The Get Engaged RLC is about more than just service. It is about being part of a community: a residential community, the campus community, and the New Orleans community. It is learning from RLC members about ourselves, about others, and about the community’s needs and opportunities.
Health Wave RLC
A communal living opportunity focused on self-care, wellness, and public health, Health Wave encourages students to take care of themselves and their communities.
Honors RLC
The Honors Community embraces the ideal of scholarly engagement as a goal for all high-achieving students. Through increased interaction with faculty both inside and outside of the classroom, students are immersed in a collaborative, intellectual, and close-knit social community with a focus on academic enrichment and excellence.
Kaleidoscope RLC
The Kaleidoscope RLC focuses on diversity, inclusion, and social justice through a multitude of activities. The RLC creates an incubator to explore intellectual thought, identities and values through intentional conversations, experiences and programs.
Spark RLC
Drawing on the legacy of Newcomb College, Spark provides a place for first-year women to find their “spark” – their own Tulane pathway – as they forge connections with one another and with faculty, staff, and alumnae through the gender-focused programming and opportunities provided by Newcomb Institute.
Squad RLC
Squad is a leadership and teamwork community that explores how to be a Tulanian as understood through the lens of school pride. Participants will live with like-minded peers that seek to create a vibrant and supportive campus environment, will engage in and develop initiatives that honor the history and values of the Tulane community, and will help to share the culture of the university through leadership development and opportunity to learn from coaches, athletics staff members, and leaders in the New Orleans community.
Third Coast RLC
Experience New Orleans with the people who know it best. The Third Coast RLC convenes students who are curious about New Orleans and the Gulf South region to engage in dynamic place-based learning – inspired by the notion that the more students understand about where they are, the more fully they can participate in our democracy and engage in our collective destiny.