Talk by President Cowen at Destination Tulane, 17 April, 2009

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tulane University
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<p>Below are some brief notes about what he said (as best as I could capture them.) Overall his talk was a direct response to the question “Why come to Tulane?” </p>

<p>Talk by President Cowen
Destination Tulane
April 17, 2009</p>

<p>Tulane has the advantages of a research institution but not the disadvantages. It has the flexibility of programs that come with a large university, but with the small class size and and professor-taught classes typical of a liberal arts college. </p>

<p>Dr. Cowen suggested that students and parents evaluate their school choices according to The Three “Ps,” which are People, Programs, and Place. He talked about each one of those individually.</p>

<p>1) People </p>

<p>Tulane is the only research institution that has public service as part of its core requirements. He said, "This is a defining symbol of who we are." If this does not fit you then don’t come here. (He said this in a healthy way, meaning “Find your best fit and go there.” He did not say it in a stand-offish way.)</p>

<p>Many schools advocate habits of the mind. The public service requirement demonstrates that Tulane also emphasizes habits of the heart. Dr. Cowen stressed the “character and values” of the faculty, staff, and students at Tulane</p>

<p>2) Programs</p>

<p>Tulane has the depth and breadth of programs of a research university.
90% of students change their majors. Tulane offers students the flexibility to switch majors, double major, or even triple major. Undergrads can take courses from the grad schools.</p>

<p>3) Place: New Orleans</p>

<p>a) Crime</p>

<p>Mostly criminal on criminal
Mostly in parts of the city that are uninhabited
Tulane is in the most affluent part of New Orleans. (From what we saw, this appears to be absolutely true. The homes along St. Charles Avenue are mansions. The neighborhoods just off St. Charles are mostly well to do.)
Compare Tulane on-campus crime with any other urban university.
Campus police patrol not just the campus but a two mile radius around the campus.</p>

<p>b) Party</p>

<p>Typically, kids go to French Quarter in their first week to see what it’s all about.
There are many festivals throughout the year
Mardi Gras
Jazz Fest
French Quarter Festival</p>

<p>Dr. Cowen highly recommends that kids and parents go to the festivals, just not together. They’ll both have a better time that way.</p>

<p>The distractions of a city (i.e., festivals, museums, concerts, etc.) result in less partying than at rural schools where there’s nothing else to do.</p>

<p>New Orleans has its own music, language, food, and architecture. No other city in America can claim all four of those. New Orleans is often rated as a best college town.</p>

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<p>Love Dr. Cowen. He sure is getting a lot of mileage out of that presentation :)</p>

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<p>We attended Destination Tulane with our son on Saturday the 18th and Dr. Cowan gave essentially the same talk. He really is an impressive speaker, because it was pretty clear that he gave the speech often but it did not sound rehearsed. I think a lot of the parents were impressed that he took time out of a Saturday to talk to the prospective students, but of course that is a very smart marketing move on the part of the administration and admissions department. </p>

<p>Of course, he didn’t talk about hurricanes and such, but I think he did a lot to frame the Tulane message so that it was possible to focus on the characteristics that separate Tulane from other schools.</p>