Others Are Watching

Dear Tulane Community:

As we build on our momentum in research, scholarship and the creation of a truly equitable, diverse and inclusive community, it is heartening to see that others are taking notice.

This week we were awarded the 2022 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award by INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. The annual HEED Award recognizes U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. Such a commitment is the hallmark of a great university and is the kind of university Tulane aspires to become.

The HEED award comes on the heels of Tulane being named to Forbes’ annual list of America’s Best Employers by State. Tulane topped Forbes’ list as Louisiana’s No. 1 employer in education and No. 2 employer overall.

Also, this week we were, once again, ranked among the nation’s top universities by U.S. News & World Report. This is in addition to the high rankings we recently received in The Princeton Review. We were ranked No. 1 in the country by Princeton Review for having the Happiest Students and No. 2 in the country for Best Schools for Service Learning by U.S. News. We also ranked No. 2 for Students Most Engaged in Community Service, No. 3 for Best College City, No. 6 for universities that are Most Loved, No. 7 for Best Quality of Life, No. 17 for Best Alumni Network, No. 21 for Best Athletics Facilities and No. 22 among Best-Run Colleges.

While rankings like these can be overemphasized and are just one of innumerable views and measures of a university’s quality, they do provide a glimpse into Tulane’s deeply relational and pluralistic community. We attract students, faculty and staff from around the world who are united in their desire to be part of our innovative and life-changing mission. In adherence to our core values, we strive to make Tulane a more supportive home for community members from the widest array of backgrounds. This support includes protecting, upholding and encouraging the free expression of ideas and opinions that may be controversial or that may challenge the status quo. We believe this commitment, along with our world-renowned research and transformative student experience, is the heart of our strength and a large part of the reason others are taking notice.

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Signature of Mike Fitts