Dear Tulane Community:
Today will be a moving experience – literally and figuratively. When you read this, I will be welcoming the Class of 2021 as students move into their campus homes for the first time.
2021. Do you remember when that year only appeared in science fiction? Well, thankfully, this class is for real. In fact, its members are the select few of more than 35,000 students who applied to Tulane in 2017. These students are part of one of the most diverse and academically qualified classes in Tulane’s history.
Trundling in today with their boxes, bags, laptops (and even the occasional teddy bear), these students will add to the unique research, scholarship, community and culture that is Tulane University. Their ultimate goal is a life of profound meaning that significantly contributes to bettering our world. But right now they could use help wrestling some overpacked luggage out of their parents’ cars and finding their rooms. That is why I am glad to join the hundreds of student and staff volunteers who will greet these newest Tulanians, lend them a hand and point the way.
When I address the members of our new class at tomorrow’s Convocation, I will be sure to remind them what a welcoming and nurturing community they are entering. But I will also tell them that it is a challenging community that will encourage them to examine every assumption, explore every opportunity and acquire every skill needed to grow in ways they never dreamed possible – academically, emotionally, socially, even spiritually. This growth is all part of the transforming power of a Tulane education that will inspire this generation of students to become the entrepreneurs, artists, innovators, designers, discoverers, doctors, advocates and leaders they are destined to be.
Yes, today will be a moving experience.
