<p>Sybbie, I doubt it had anything to do with the new money since the letters were probably already mailed by then, but my son DID get a Distinguished Scholar letter from Tulane today!</p>
<p>Thanks for your good wishes!</p>
<p>I am so happy for you, Congratulations !!!</p>
<p>Congrats ctymomteacher and S. We are off to Tulane's Engineering Scholar Days 4/8. S also got the DSA. Just a heads up: S got an invite to Honors Program some time after the acceptance and DSA. Honors Weekend is 4/3-4, I think(we're doing the Eng. one instead). If you're thinking that might be important to your S, you might contact Admissions to see if that info is available for him, so you can plan re attending or not.</p>
<p>Actually, Filo's $30 million will not go into the general endowment. His is earmarked for the engineering school's endowment. No doubt he is a big reason that the engineering school has reached 76% of it's Promise & Distinction Campaign goal. Here are a few excerpts from the engineering school's press release:</p>
<p>David Filo, who received his B.S. in computer engineering from the Tulane School of Engineering in 1988, has designated his $30 million gift for scholarships for undergraduate engineering and computer science students of "extraordinary academic merit and demonstrated need."</p>
<p>Filo, a native of Moss Bluff, Louisiana, was a scholarship student and a Dean's Honor Scholar while at Tulane. He graduated summa cum laude and was named Tulane's "top graduate" of 1988. He was the 1997 recipient of the Harold A. Levey Award for Early Career Achievement from the School of Engineering and was the 2001 recipient of the School of Engineering's Outstanding Alumnus Award. Last year, Filo was elected to the Tulane School of Engineering Hall of Fame. He credits Tulane for much of his success in his relatively short business career.</p>
<p>"That I was able to get into the position to start Yahoo! was in large part due to Tulane," Filo says. "They gave me a scholarship, without which I probably would never have been able to attend. This gift is my way of contributing to higher education in my home state as well as showing my gratitude for the wonderful education I received at Tulane."</p>
<p>It goes without saying that this gift will have a tremendous impact on the Tulane School of Engineering. To attract the nation's most talented students, Tulane's Office of Admission often encourages its most highly qualified applicants to attend by waiving at least a portion of their tuition. Although this is a key reason the School of Engineering has so many gifted students, it also means that the school suffers a loss in funding. </p>
<p>By creating an endowed scholarship fund that will generate approximately $1.5 million annually, Filo is not only helping students achieve their goals, but he is providing the funds that the School of Engineering needs to continually improve its research efforts, educational programs, and community involvement.</p>
<p>Dean Nick Altiero says, "Obviously this is wonderful news for the school, and we are deeply grateful to David for this extraordinary investment in future engineers and computer scientists and in the Tulane School of Engineering." </p>
<p>The School of Engineering has been developing a strategic plan to move the school to a higher level of excellence, and this plan involves significant investments in students through scholarships and fellowships, in faculty through endowed chairs and professorships, and in laboratories and infrastructure. Filo's gift to the school is a major step toward the realization of this vision, and he has stated publicly that he hopes it will provide inspiration to others to give the support needed to make the school and the university second to none.</p>
<p>"David's generosity has further fueled my enthusiasm for the future of the school," Dean Altiero continues. "This is a very exciting time to be affiliated with Tulane University and the Tulane School of Engineering!"</p>
<p>Though the largest, this gift is not David Filo's first to the Tulane School of Engineering. In December 1996, Filo donated Yahoo! Inc. common stock valued at approximately $1 million to the university for the establishment of The Yahoo! Founder's Chair in Engineering. </p>
<p>I have to say that I am extremely thankful for Filo's gift to the university since my son is an engineering student there.</p>
<p>Thanks jmmom. It would be something we would go to, but he has not received an invitation to the Honors Program yet, and I understand that not everyone who receives a Distinguished Scholars award is invited. I certainly hope he is, and I will suggest that he call or check his website.</p>
<p>I hate bringing back dead topcis, but thought I'd update you all. I was getting worried about Tulane and gave them a call today, because I got something from their financial aid office (I made a mistake on FAFSA, but have since corrected it) that had an error in my address. I got lucky and that letter made it to me, but I was worried about my admission decission. I called them up today, and was informed that my admissions packet had been mailed on March 1st, and that I should have gotten it. Their records show that I was admitted, and they were confused that I had not heard anything. </p>
<p>So basically now they've got the corrected mailing address, and are mailing me out a new packet tomorrow. Never thought I'd get my first acceptence over the phone, but needless to say, I was exceptionally excited (it was very difficult not to show emotion since I was correcting my info with them) when she told me their records show they I got in.</p>
<p>I feel much better now!!! I'm still waiting to hear from all of the UC's, but at least I know that there is one school (actually my second choice behind UCLA) out there I can go to next year!</p>
<p>Congratulations!</p>