Dear Tulane Community,
The energy of the new academic year is always tangible, but this year feels electric. Tulane's soaring trajectory-led by ascending admissions numbers, record fundraising efforts and a fresh focus on research efforts allows us to aim for the pinnacle of the higher education landscape.
Tulane is unlike any other institution in the country: we are the only university with a school of medicine, a school of science and engineering, a school of public health and a primate research center. This unique arrangement is our academic superpower, affording us the opportunity to attract the world's finest students, teachers, researchers and administrators.
Joining our incoming Class of 2023-the most academically-qualified, diverse and selective class in our history-are new academic leaders at Tulane University. Lee Skinner, PhD, a leading scholar of Latin American literature, is our new dean of Newcomb-Tulane College, and she has exciting plans to enhance our undergraduate experience in meaningful ways. We also welcome a new vice president for research, Dr. Giovanni Piedimonte, formerly the chair of Pediatrics at the Cleveland Clinic. Our research ambitions are further bolstered by the interdisciplinary appointment of Tony Hu, PhD, as Tulane's second endowed presidential chair. Dr. Hu is a world-renowned leader in the fields of personalized medicine and nanotechnology.
Supporting our new academic leaders is the ongoing physical transformation of our campuses. The uptown campus buzzed at the start of the fall semester as we opened the Commons, Tulane's 77,000 square-foot masterpiece overlooking the Berger Family Lawn. Connected directly to the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life, the Commons serves as the new home for the Newcomb College Institute and a hub for all Tulane students. The magnificent facility replaces Bruff with a new, state-of-the art dining experience that can serve more than 1,000 students at a time. In what will ultimately become the largest construction project in the history of Tulane, we plan to build new residential learning communities where Bruff currently stands.
The next bold project to break ground will be Steven and Jann Paul Hall, anchoring Tulane's Science and Engineering District on the academic quad. Tulane's downtown campus may also soon be transformed as we continue serious discussions to become the anchor tenant in the redevelopment of Charity Hospital, an architectural landmark that could form the nucleus of our downtown campus.
Why does our star continue to rise?
It's because Tulanians don't just bleed green and blue - we live and dream with our beloved university. That passion has put Tulane in a position to touch countless lives around the world. I challenge our community to look to the future-one where Tulane stands tall as the model for academic excellence and celebrated discovery.
This is a transformative year for Tulane University. I can't wait to see what we will accomplish together.
Roll Wave!
