Dear Tulane Community:
A strong partnership with the federal government is critical to the success of a major national research university like Tulane.
To strengthen this relationship, I traveled to Washington this week to meet with members of Louisiana's congressional delegation, including Sen. David Vitter, Sen. Bill Cassidy, House Republican Whip Steve Scalise and Rep. Cedric Richmond.
Federal funding from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and other funding agencies that empower Tulane's work in infectious diseases, drugs, vaccines, cancer, the environment, biomedical engineering, nanotechnology, STEM education and more, was among the items discussed during these meetings.
Patent reform legislation, which has been in the news a lot lately, and the vital role of Tulane in providing health care, education, jobs and prosperity to the people of Louisiana were also on the agenda, as was the current budget crisis facing public higher education in our state.
All four congressmen pledged their continued loyalty, support and friendship to Tulane and reaffirmed the vital role of the federal government in ensuring the success of Tulane's mission for the benefit of our city, state, nation and world.
This is the first of many trips my fellow university presidents and I plan to make to Washington to ensure that the value and centrality of higher education to our nation's success is understood and supported.
