Dear Tulane Community:
When I arrived at Tulane a decade ago, we had a vision for the university that leveraged its core strengths: an interdisciplinary, innovative spirit; an outward-facing focus; and a relational, collaborative culture. Together, we were confident that embracing these strengths would establish Tulane as a global leader in research and education for the 21st century.
Fast forward to fall 2024. As I write this, we are not even halfway through the fall semester – but what a semester it’s already been. The momentous events that we have recently celebrated together reflect a decade’s worth of work to advance our collective vision for Tulane.
Last week we marked a milestone in Tulane’s history with the naming of the Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. This landmark announcement recognizes years of transformative philanthropy as well as a new gift that brings Celia’s total lifetime giving to more than $160 million. Both the lifetime support of this iconic Tulanian and her new gift are the largest ever received by the university.
Celia has been a tireless champion of our vision. At the heart of her generosity are a deep love for her alma mater and a strong belief in Tulane’s potential to make the world a better place. For decades, she and her late husband Albert have helped the university realize that potential, with a particular focus on increasing scholarship support for students and attracting world-class faculty to Tulane. Her new gift builds on the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine’s legacy of leadership in the field. It was the first such school established in the United States, and its global impact has stretched from tackling yellow fever and cholera in the 19th century to COVID-19 and cancer in the 21st century.
Thanks to Celia’s extraordinary commitment, the school that now bears her name is empowered to ascend to new heights. Her continued support will drive more life-saving research, attract more expert faculty, and help more students achieve the dream of a Tulane education.
The naming of the Weatherhead School closely follows a historic presidential visit announcing a $23 million cancer moonshot grant to an interdisciplinary team of Tulane researchers, as well as an Economic Impact Report that charted our $5.2 billion annual impact on the state of Louisiana. These remarkable headlines reflect our ongoing upward trajectory as a leading research university, a regional economic engine, and a global driver of positive change.
Even though our institutional momentum continues, we are all navigating an incredibly complex and challenging world. We know that this weighs on many members of our community, so we are engaged in a number of efforts to support constructive dialogue. By building on our relational culture, we can further our core mission to build a better world through research and education.
Chatting with cheerful students and staff in the Malkin Sacks Commons as Hurricane Francine approached, I was reminded yet again of the resilient Tulanian spirit. Whatever milestones lie ahead this academic year and beyond, I look forward to experiencing them together as a community.
