Tulane's response to William Rusher's piece Tulane Grabs the Money (also as a pdf ), D.C. Town Hall, 5/3/07

May 21, 2007

Dear Mr. Rusher:

Your article "Tulane Grabs the Money" is riddled with erroneous information and numerous misguided, if not mean-spirited, conclusions.

In the first paragraph you contend that Tulane University violated Josephine Newcomb's donor intent by merging Newcomb College with Tulane College, the university's men's undergraduate college.

In drawing this conclusion you fail to acknowledge Mrs. Newcomb's own words written at the time of her donation, i.e., that in funding "the cause of female education in Louisiana," she did "not mean ... to impose upon you (the Board of Tulane) restrictions" and entrusted the funds "solely to your (the Board of Tulane) care and discretion, with entire confidence in your fidelity and wisdom."

In the third and fourth paragraphs you state that after Newcomb College was established "everything went along merrily for nearly 120 years, until Hurricane Katrina" and, "All of a sudden Newcomb College disappeared — dean, degrees, diplomas and student body."

These statements fail to acknowledge the historical fact that over the years Newcomb College evolved with the changing times and increased opportunities for women in education. For instance in the1960s Newcomb students began to enroll in coed classes with men. In 1969 Newcomb and Tulane Colleges combined their academic departments and by 1979 Newcomb and Tulane College share a single curriculum. By the 1980s Newcomb and Tulane integrated their faculty for liberal arts and sciences and Newcomb College no longer had its own classes, own faculty, own admissions office or academic programs. These changes and others achieved an updated version of Mrs. Newcomb's original intent to advance women's education. In Mrs. Newcomb's day, the issue for women was gaining access to higher education. In today's world, with women outnumbering men at Tulane and on college campuses throughout the country, the goal is enhancing women's education.

You further allege that, after the restructuring brought about by the Renewal Plan, "In its (Newcomb College's) place appeared the H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College Institute, a paper organization with no dean, no degrees, no student body and not even a campus."

The director and staff who occupy and run the busy offices of the H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College Institute on Newcomb's campus and the hundreds of students who participate in its programs might be surprised to learn that they are involved in a "paper organization." Equally confounded will be the hundreds of young women who attended The Under the Oaks Ceremony on May 18, 2007. This ceremony honored Newcomb Scholars, Newcomb award recipients, the Newcomb Class of 1957, and graduating seniors choosing to receive Newcomb College diplomas. Under the Oaks also included long-established traditions, including the Daisy Chain, singing of the Alma Mater, and the senior class speaker. After the ceremony, graduates and their guests joined the Newcomb College Institute for a reception on the Newcomb Quad.

Twice in your article you charge Tulane with seizing "Newcomb's $45 million endowment" saying at one point, "It must have been unbearably tempting to fold the college into Tulane itself, and pocket its money for the overall benefit of the University."

This statement is erroneous and slanderous. First, the Mrs. Newcomb's gift was not an endowment, the endowment was established by donors to Tulane and Newcomb Colleges. Furthermore, Tulane never seized anything. The Newcomb endowment is currently being used to advance "the cause of female education in Louisiana" in keeping with Josephine Louise Newcomb's original intent.

Thank you for taking the time to read my concerns,

Michael T. Strecker
Director of Public Relations
215 Gibson Hall, Tulane University
New Orleans, LA 70118
(504) 865-5210
Fax (504) 862-8777
mstreck@tulane.edu