Dear Tulane Community:
Final exams for the fall semester are underway. Our students, faculty and staff are busy wrapping up papers, projects and assignments, rushing across our campuses in the shadow of stately live oak trees and tropical palms.
Some Tulanians who are experiencing their first December in Louisiana may find themselves a bit disoriented by the enduring green of our surroundings. While the weather might not quite call for winter coats, the warmth we generate at festive gatherings as we celebrate the end of the semester together is welcome.
The physical evolution of our campuses continues as the academic calendar pauses before the new year. On the uptown campus, finishing touches are being applied to Steven and Jann Paul Hall, preparing for a spring opening that will add 70,000 square feet of state-of-the-art science and engineering facilities.
Next month, after holiday lights have been put away, we’ll be installing dramatic new lighting on the downtown campus. Our buildings will be uplit year-round in Tulane green. This is just one small detail of the holistic transformation that is underway as we build a bioinnovation district and create a destination academic medical center in partnership with LCMC Health. Lighting our downtown campus in Tulane green will serve as a visual reminder of our historic investment in revitalizing the city and uplifting the community.
I have enjoyed seeing many of you over the past few weeks as we gathered to recognize the many accomplishments of this memorable semester. As we close out another calendar year, I am filled with gratitude for you: our faculty, staff and students who are working every day to change the world for the better. Like the venerable live oaks that grace our campuses with cooling shade and steadfast green leaves, the seeds you are planting will have a positive impact for generations to come.
