Tulane's response to Naomi Schaefer Riley's piece What Would Mrs. Newcomb Do?, Wall Street Journal, 5/8/07

May 8, 2007

Naomi:

There are several points that need to be clarified in your article, "What would Mrs. Newcomb Do?"

In the ninth paragraph you mention our $200 million in property damage from Hurricane Katrina. While that is accurate, our total losses due to the storm (operating losses, property losses, collection losses and research losses) totaled $550 million.

In the 10th paragraph you state that: "Its (Tulane’s) seven undergraduate colleges, of which Newcomb was one, were reduced to five." Actually, before the Renewal Plan undergraduate students could enroll in seven undergraduate schools; now they can only enter Tulane through the new Newcomb-Tulane College. So the seven entry undergraduate schools were reduced to one (Newcomb-Tulane College) for all undergraduate students. After a Newcomb-Tulane student completes his/her freshman requirements they can then pursue a major in any one of five schools that offer undergraduate degrees.

In the 11th paragraph you state that the Newcomb Institute has "no degrees, no campus and no student body." But the Newcomb Institute operates on Newcomb’s campus, the student governing body, the Newcomb Senate, is still active and diplomas awarded to all undergraduates of Newcomb-Tulane College include the following language: "In honor of H. Sophie Newcomb and Paul Tulane. In addition, according to the Renewal Plan "students who were enrolled at Newcomb College as of March 16, 2006 and who request diplomas reflecting affiliation with Newcomb College shall have their request granted."

Also, in the same paragraph you say that our chief operating officer Yvette Jones said the university had to figure out how to “attract students to an area less desirable and safe than two years ago.” This seems to be an observation of yours that you implied came from Yvette.

In the 17th paragraph you stated, “And, truth be told, there is something a little fishy in the administration’s logic. Did the college really need to be closed to offer the same programs to women not enrolled in Newcomb? Doesn’t do so cost even more money?”

It seems that this is an opinion expressed rather than a truth being told but regardless, the decision to reorganize our undergraduate educational program was based on our desire to simplify the undergraduate experience and ensure its consistent quality for all of our undergraduate students. The Renewal Plans goals are to continue to provide the highest quality undergraduate education and ensure that we remain competitive in attracting the best students from across the country in wake of Katrina.

Evidence that these goals are being achieved is the fact that more than 1,375 high school seniors have committed to Tulane University and will enroll in August as Tulane's Class of 2011. This number surpasses by 56 percent last year's class of 882 freshmen and significantly exceeds the university's previously established goal of 1,200.This is the largest one-year increase in first-time freshmen in the history of Tulane. Significantly, the incoming freshman class is 55 percent women, which represents an increase of 71 percent over the number of women in last year's class.

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