August 17, 2025
My fellow Tulanians—
I am absolutely delighted to say three of my favorite words…
Welcome to Tulane!
I want you to take a moment and let this really sink in.
You’re here. You made it.
All of your hard work has led you to this.
Think back to the day you got your acceptance letter.
The joy and pride that you felt were a preview of so many moments ahead of you:
Passing the final exam that seemed impossible.
Making the dean’s list.
Collaborating with a faculty mentor to publish original research.
And of course, celebrating your graduation at the Caesars Superdome.
Today marks the beginning of a journey that will change your life forever.
Soon, you’ll know every corner of this campus…
…and you’ll be able to say “Tchoupitoulas” without missing a beat.
But right now, you may be feeling like you’ve been dropped into a totally unfamiliar environment.
Like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, you may be thinking, “I’m not in Kansas anymore.”
There may even be moments when you want nothing more than to return to the comfort and safety of home.
But, after spending time at Tulane, the phrase “there’s no place like home” will take on a new meaning… because there is truly no place like Tulane.
I may not have much in common with Glinda, the Good Witch of the North.
But, just as she set Dorothy on the right path…
I’m here to help you find your own version of the yellow brick road.
And, with the help of the Tulane University Marching Band… I’d like to do that by taking a trip through Oz.
You chose to enroll at Tulane, so you probably know this already… we do things a little bit differently.
Your friends at other schools will probably not have a convocation speech based on The Wizard of Oz.
But today, with a wave of my wand, we’re taking the Green Wave to the Emerald City!
Let’s start with some context.
Over a hundred years ago, L. Frank Baum published a children’s novel called “the wonderful wizard of Oz.”
Ever since then, Baum’s story has been retold and reimagined countless times on the page, the stage, and the screen.
All of the different versions of Oz hold valuable lessons for you as you begin your Tulane journey.
So, let’s take a trip together down the yellow brick road.
We’ll start with the 1939 film that changed cinema forever: “The Wizard of Oz.”
Tulane University Marching Band, take us over the rainbow!
[TUMB plays “Over the Rainbow”; video screens show a montage from “The Wizard of Oz”]
At home in Kansas, Dorothy dreams of a place “where the dreams that we dare to dream really do come true.”
During your time at Tulane, I dare you to dream big.
Think about a goal you’d like to set for yourself.
Now don’t stop there— set it even higher!
When we dare to dream big dreams, we open ourselves up to new possibilities.
We unlock potential that we didn’t even know we had.
Take Dylan Murray.
Dylan is a senior this year, double majoring in computer science and psychology, on the pre-med track.
She is also the co-founder and chief operating officer of Exactics, a startup with a portable rapid test that allows people to test ticks for Lyme disease.
This spring, Exactics took the grand prize at the Tulane Lepage Center’s pitch competition.
The secret?
Dylan and her team dared to dream big.
If it’s hard to imagine yourself founding a successful startup, remember what Glinda the good witch tells Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz:”
“It’s always best to start at the beginning, and all you do is follow the yellow brick road.”
Often, that’s easier said than done.
The path may seem unclear.
Should you major in biology or business?
Play a club sport, or play in the band?
With so many options, you may feel overwhelmed at times.
You may not have a “good witch” to guide you along your path.
But what you do have is even better:
An incredible support network of staff, professors, and peers.
Academic advisors, success coaches, faculty mentors, peer tutors… to name just a few.
Newcomb-Tulane College has all the resources you need to keep you moving down your own yellow brick road and chasing your dreams.
This brings me to the next stop on our journey.
Let’s jump ahead from 1939… to 1975.
[TUMB plays “Ease on Down the Road;” video screens show a montage “The Wiz”]
Fifty years ago, a new musical called “The Wiz” premiered on Broadway.
It reimagined the iconic story of Dorothy gale through the lens of the Black American experience.
The hit musical was adapted into a beloved film starring a roster of legendary performers, including Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.
They sang:
“There may be times when you think you lost your mind, and the steps you’re taking leave you three or four steps behind.”
When you dream big, you’re bound to face setbacks.
But if you persevere under pressure, you’ll find your way back to your yellow brick road… or maybe you’ll make a new one.
Or, as they put it in “The Wiz”…
“the road you’re walking might be long sometimes. You just keep on stepping and you’ll be just fine.”
When you find yourself stuck, you don’t need to go searching for a mysterious wizard who may not be able to help you.
Just ask Advaith Subramanian, in the class of 2026.
He didn’t need a wizard to reach his goals.
He just needed the NTC Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.
They helped him apply for a Goldwater scholarship, one of the oldest and most prestigious national scholarships in the United States.
Advaith faced obstacles, setbacks, and self-doubt at times as he went through this intensive process.
But with the support of NTC’s dedicated staff, he persevered, and he “kept on stepping—” down his own yellow brick road.
Now, he’s beginning his senior year as a Goldwater scholar. //
If you ever find yourself stuck, remember Advaith’s story.
And remember that you’ve had the power of resilience within you all along—
Just as the Scarecrow always had a brain, the Tin Man always had a heart, and the Cowardly Lion was always courageous.
Lean on your incredible Tulane support system to keep moving forward—no ruby slippers necessary!
Of course, if you’re lucky, you might catch your own emerald slipper at the iconic Muses Mardi Gras parade!
And now, let’s visit another version of Oz that made us rethink everything we thought we knew.
[TUMB plays “Defying Gravity”; screens show a montage from “Wicked”]
“Wicked,” the musical, took Broadway by storm in 2003… and now it’s a blockbuster movie, with part two arriving in November.
Its narrative centers around a character we always thought was the villain:
Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West.
By shifting our perspective to see things through her eyes, we come to question our own assumptions, and we learn new lessons from an old story.
Elphaba meets Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, when they are assigned as roommates at Shiz University.
Let me just say: I hope you and your roommate are off to a better start!
The two are polar opposites. At first, they can’t imagine finding common ground.
But, they eventually discover that together, they have the power to make Oz a better place… and even to defy gravity.
This is the most important lesson of all:
When we build bridges across differences, we can change the world for the better.
This is one of the things we do best at Tulane.
Our deeply relational culture is at the core of our identity as an institution.
We cultivate a community of scholars from all fifty states, and dozens of countries all across the world.
With such a rich variety of backgrounds and perspectives, you may find yourself challenged by uncomfortable ideas or opinions.
When that happens, don’t put up a wall.
Build a bridge.
Our society is deeply divided. Sometimes it seems like everyone is shouting, but no one is being heard.
Universities have the power to change this.
As Glinda and Elphaba discovered, sometimes you can learn the most from the people with whom you have the least in common… but only if you’re willing to listen to each other.
Remember: it’s always more important to learn from an argument than it is to win.
This openness to new ideas and perspectives is how we create an environment where academic excellence can thrive.
We build bridges between academic disciplines to spark innovation.
This is how we produce groundbreaking research on everything from cancer to ancient civilizations.
And, we build bridges between the university and the outside world.
From our service-learning curriculum to our groundbreaking research, we partner with the community to improve— and save— lives.
As Kailen Mitchell learned, we’re even making magic.
I’m not talking about the kind of magic you find in Oz. This kind is even better.
Before she graduated in May, Kailen was an undergraduate researcher on a project called “MAGIC-SCAN:”
A revolutionary new imaging tool in the fight against cancer, developed by an interdisciplinary team of Tulane researchers.
This breakthrough led to an historic visit to campus by the then-President and First Lady of the United States, one year ago this week.
They announced that the MAGIC-SCAN team had received a 23-million-dollar, bipartisan “cancer moonshot grant” to develop this life-saving technology.
As Kailen and her fellow team members can tell you, the magic of “MAGIC-SCAN” is made possible by the bridges we build at Tulane:
Between academic disciplines…
Between faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates…
And between scholars from different backgrounds who hail from all over the world.
Our journey through Oz is nearly complete.
But first, I want you to take a moment and look around this arena.
When Commencement day comes, you’ll look at these fellow Tulanians and say:
“Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.”
In the meantime, remember to dream big…
Persevere under pressure…
And build bridges across differences.
If you do, I know each and every one of you will learn how to defy gravity. //
My fellow Tulanians… there’s no place like home…
And there’s no place like Tulane.
Welcome home!
