A Plan for Now Update
March 4, 2021
Dear Tulane Community:
To become a truly great university – defined by breakthrough discovery, world-class scholarship and transformative personal growth and enrichment – Tulane must become a community that welcomes and supports a diverse array of students, faculty and staff. We must treat each member of our academic family, especially our BIPOC and other underrepresented members, with equity and respect. The past couple of weeks have underscored the need and urgency for us to build this type of community. Recent events
have caused distress for many, prompting deep inquiry, discussion and introspection about racism, sexism and how we work, engage and interact with one another. Together, we must examine our systems and structures as well as our behaviors and biases to consider and understand their potential impact on our BIPOC and marginalized communities.
History and Traditions
New Orleans = Tulane
New Orleans in 1834 was one of the busiest international port cities in the world. But the city wasn’t just importing goods from across the world, they were also importing deadly diseases like yellow fever, malaria and smallpox. In an effort to treat these diseases, learn more about them and train more doctors, the Medical College of Louisiana was formed.
By 1847, the Medical College of Louisiana was a newly established public institution, the University of Louisiana. But in 1884, wealthy merchant Paul Tulane, a native of Princeton, N.J., wanted to express his appreciation for the city that made him his fortune. He donated more than $1 million in land, cash and securities “for the promotion and encouragement of intellectual, moral and industrial education.” His generous gift transformed the University of Louisiana into Tulane University. In 1886, the H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College was established as Tulane’s co-ordinate colle