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Shaping the
FUTURE
Turning
THE PAGE Meria Carstarphen (NC ’92) inspires teachers and students to focus on the many available possibilities
ALSO INSIDE Women to Women Mentoring Program What’s Next? A Tale of Triumph Celebrating Excellence NEWCOMB FALL 2014
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From the Director
Dear Friends,
I “Newcomb will be at the center of student life with space designed for its function.”
am happy to report that this spring I was offered and accepted a contract for another five-year term as director. I look forward to inaugurating a new campus Commons in 2018. Over the last year, we have been listening to students and alumnae and planning with the project’s architects, Weiss/Manfredi. In March, along with the Director’s Advisory Council, I toured Barnard College’s beautiful Diana Center, a building they designed that will be similar to ours. Newcomb College Institute will have 19,000 square feet on the top floor of a building connected to the Lavin-Bernick Center, enabling us to unite our staff—now spread between three buildings— under one roof. (We have settled into our temporary space at 7025 Freret adjacent to the Howard-Tilton Memorial Library and it is serving student and staff needs well.) The new building will transform the campus, providing a 21st century dining experience in a building students can use round the clock to meet, study, or socialize. Newcomb will be at the center of student life with space designed for its function. Designing the Commons is a oncein-a-century opportunity to shape the future of campus life. We are eager to do our part to implement the recommendations of three important taskforces that worked all year: the undergraduate experience, interdisciplinary collaboration, and leadership. The mission of the Newcomb College Institute makes our work pivotal to the success of all three initiatives. We have also been a campus leader on the issue of sexual assault, bringing together leading scholars, teaching a service-learning course, mobilizing student activists, screening groundbreaking films such as The Hunting Ground, and working to make sure our campus grievance procedures and bystander trainings are the best they can be. This summer, Assistant Director for Student Leadership and Engagement Malliron Hodge and I traveled to Kenya to lay the groundwork for a study abroad program on leadership for girls, working with children orphaned from HIV. We hope to secure approval for the program this fall. As we note the ten-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we are working harder than ever to reconnect with Newcomb alumnae across the country—I hope to meet you in California, Houston, Miami, or Atlanta this fall. The future of Newcomb is bright as we educate more undergraduate women for leadership in the 21st century than ever before.
Newcomb College Endowed Chair Professor of Political Science Executive Director, Newcomb College Institute of Tulane University
Inside NEWCOMB Executive Director Sally J. Kenney, PhD Managing Editor Aidan Smith, PhD
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Newcomb Connections
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Noteworthy at Newcomb
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Donor Roll
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Art Director/Designer Aisha Champagne Contributors Hannah Dean (LA ’17) Catherine Edwards (NC ’72) Madeline LaFuse (LA ’15) Sarah Lohmeier (SE ’16) Jamie Logan (LA ’17) Chloe Raub (NC ’07) Fran Simon Photography Kathy Anderson Sally Asher Jessica Bachmann Paula Burch-Celentano Cheryl Gerber Sabree Hill Max Krupka, Washington Executive Photographic Services
Bernie Saul Tracie Morris Schaefer NEWCOMB is published by the Newcomb College Institute of Tulane University. Address all inquiries to Newcomb Magazine 6823 St. Charles Ave. Tulane University New Orleans, LA 70118 NEWCOMB is printed using income from interest-bearing endowed funds at the Newcomb College Institute, including the Newcomb Alumnae Periodical Fund, established through the kindness of Ann Hodge Macomber (NC ’47). Mailing costs are supported by proceeds from the Mignon Faget Newcomb Jewelry Collection. The mission of the Newcomb College Institute is to: Cultivate lifelong leadership among undergraduate women at Tulane University Empower women by integrating teaching, research, and community engagement at Tulane University Preserve, document, produce, and disseminate knowledge about women Honor the memory of H. Sophie Newcomb and carry forward the work of Newcomb College by providing a woman-centered experience in a co-ed institution
Noted author Lorrie Moore, center, visited campus in February as this year’s Zale-Kimmerling writer in residence. The program is made possible thanks to support from Dana Zale Gerard (NC ’85) and Martha Kimmerling Wells (NC ’63).
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What’s Next?
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Superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools Meria Carstarphen (NC ’92) wants to inspire teachers and students to focus on the many possibilities available to themselves and the nation through public education.
The Women to Women Mentoring Program aims to bridge the gap between college and life after Tulane by closely linking undergraduate women with the vast network of talented, dedicated Newcomb alumnae.
A Tale of Triumph The records of one of the most important victories in pay equity legislation have found a home at Newcomb Archives.
Celebrating Excellence Alumna Marsha Firestone receives Tulane’s Professional Achievement Award at a gala celebration.
On the cover: Cody Wild (LA ’14) worked with local middle school girls at the inaugural Girls in Science and Technology (GIST) conference, supported by an NCI grant and organized by Newcomb Fellow ecologist Donata Henry and the Women in Technology student group. The students learned about augmented reality technology, which combines the virtual world with the physical world, supplying digital content on top of reality. NEWCOMB FALL 2015
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NEWCOMB Connections
A Message from the Newcomb Alumnae Association This is my final letter to you as President of the NAA, and in preparing it I have been reflecting on the almost four years I have served this organization in this office. I am proud of our accomplishments. Our board has worked very hard to keep the very best part of Newcomb College alive. During the last four years we have conceived and implemented an ambitious master plan and have added a number of activities which involve both students and alumnae. We have expanded our book clubs into fifteen cities and hosted networking gatherings in New Orleans, Washington, D.C., and New York, and a brunch in Miami to celebrate the Newcomb Pottery exhibit there.
We continue to partner with the Tulane Alumni Association to spread our influence in the projects we jointly sponsor. We are ensuring the Newcomb name lives on by providing items for sale in the campus bookstore. We have instituted a mentoring program, Women to Women, which connects senior students with mentors from all over the country. We sponsored a raffle of a piece of Gene Koss’s sculpture to benefit the Newcomb Scholars, and we honored him by supporting a Scholar for one year in his name. We have created a (we hope) much easier to read and navigate website, and are continuing our sponsorship of the Town Moms program, Happy Hours, the Newcomb Awards, the luncheon at Homecoming, the reception at the President’s House for graduating seniors, and recognition of the 50-year reunion class at Under the Oaks. We have established a grant program to aid summer internships for students, and joined the Newcomb student organizations in their service projects. We are committed to the new home for Newcomb in the proposed Commons and the
renovation of Josephine Louise House, where so many of us began our lives on campus. You will be hearing more about those in the coming year. So much of what we have been able to accomplish has depended on staff help. In addition to the work of our own devoted staff members Alumnae Director Sarah McAllister Basinger, assistants Graci Rickerfor and Susan Baughman, we have benefitted from the guidance, generosity and friendship of NCI Executive Director Sally Kenney and her excellent staff. Chief among them are Ally Halperin Hudkins, who has assisted us with fundraising, Marian HerbertBruno, a wizard at graphic design, and Aidan Smith, who has helped me immeasurably with almost everything else! The best part of my job has been getting to know wonderful and interesting people throughout the Tulane community. We have experienced consistent support from Provost Michael Bernstein and Executive Vice President Yvette Jones, and grateful appreciation from both former President Scott Cowen and current President Mike Fitts.
I have always said the jewels of the Newcomb crown are the young women who participate in Mortar Board, Newcomb Senate, and the student organizations. They amaze me with their initiative, their talents, and their zeal to learn and contribute. “Oh, the places they will go!” (to paraphrase Dr. Seuss). And then, there are you, the alumnae of Newcomb College. We are still the women shaped by our four years at the school Mrs. Newcomb dedicated to the memory of her daughter. We are living up to the ideals she had in mind. In fact, we have gone far beyond anything she might have imagined. I am so glad to have gotten to know you, women from all over the country, women of all ages. Thank you for giving me the honor of serving as your president.
Catherine Hagaman Edwards (NC ’72)
NEWCOMB ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION
Amazing Awardees This year’s NAA award recipients have a common connection: dedication to their communities and a commitment to change the world for the better. This year’s Outstanding Alumna award recipient is Regina Rogers (NC ’68), left. The Community Service Award was given to Julie Schwam Harris (NC ’74), center, and the Young Alumna Award was presented to Jane Kellum (NC ’01), right.
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Women Making Waves Art for A Cause: NAA works with faculty to raise money for Newcomb Scholars Program Embracing the university’s motto “Non sibi, sed suis,” translated as “not for one’s self, but for one’s own,” the NAA launched a fundraising raffle in support of today’s students, thanks to a helping hand from noted Professor Gene Koss. Koss donated a one of a kind glass sculpture to the group, and funds raised from the raffle tickets were used to support the research efforts of graduating senior Newcomb Scholar Michelle Sheena. The raffle winner was Alisa Klein (NC ’82), from Deerfield, Illinois. Professor Koss has long been a supporter of the NAA as a mainstay in the annual speaker’s series during Homecoming Weekend. This year, he will present a glass casting demonstration in the Pace-Wilson Glass Studio on Friday, November 6. To continue supporting the program, tax-deductible gifts can be made to the Newcomb Scholars fund in Gene Koss’s honor.
It was the last panel of a day full of presentations, but a roomful of women at the “Women Making Waves” conference attentively listened to four Tulane University alumnae discuss how their work focuses on doing good in the community. Introducing the panel, “These women are inventive, strong, cooperative, and, being Tulane University alumnae, we’re very, very smart,” said Florence D. Andre (NC ’66). Andre is co-founder of nola4women, which focuses initiatives on women and girls from the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina this year to the tri-centennial celebrations of New Orleans in 2018. Ruthie Frierson (NC ’63), founder of Citizens for 1 Greater New Orleans, declared Hurricane Katrina “the spark that called us to action … citizens around the region were absolutely enraged, and we wanted to harness this frustration with a petition drive.
We were seeing red and wanted the legislators to see red, too.” Andre called the panelists “women who have done amazing things with an idea and passion.” She encouraged the women in the audience to embrace community service. “Our goal was to highlight the success of our alumnae to inspire other women to pursue leadership positions in their careers and in the community,” said Nicole Bush, director of alumni career services in the Tulane Office of Alumni Relations. “We had a mixture of undergrads and graduate students, alumnae and community members. Also, we had six students from the Women in Science student organization participating as volunteers.” This year’s event drew more than 100 attendees. The next “Women Making Waves” event is scheduled for March 12, 2016.
A FOND FAREWELL… The Newcomb Alumnae Office will be missing a familiar face this fall. Longtime staffer Gracibel Boesch Rickerfor retired this July. Since 1995, she worked behind the scenes, making possible events like Homecoming and Under the Oaks. “No one could ever replace Graci,” said NAA President Catherine Edwards. “We won’t even try.” In honor of all she’s done for Newcomb, the NAA and NCI made arrangements with the Newcomb Childcare Center to donate a set of outdoor musical chimes in her name.
Alumnae learned new skills and made new friends at a cooking class at the new Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine. Classes are free to alumnae.
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Noteworthy at NEWCOMB
SCHOLAR SNAPSHOT
Newcomb’s Musical Legacy Continues New Orleanian and gospel music great Mahalia Jackson died in 1972, but her impact on music continues today. Through funding provided by Newcomb College Institute’s Skau Art and Music Fund and the Newcomb Music Department, a spring academic conference introduced a whole new generation to her work. Dubbed “Mahalia’s New Orleans,” students, professors, community members and gospel music lovers came together to celebrate the life and legacy of the international gospel star. “Mahalia’s voice was phenomenally influential and is still often imitated in popular music,” said Matt Sakakeeny, associate professor of music, at the conference. He played several samples comparing the singer’s style to that of contemporary artists such as Adele and Sam Smith. The Rev. Dwight Webster of the Christian Unity Baptist Church, gave a brief history of gospel from its origins in slaves’ meeting houses to its connection
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to the civil rights movement. He emphasized gospel’s ability to galvanize people to resist through creative and powerful expression, noting that “gospel is a genre, style and a movement.” Gospel music is a “dynamic form of group creativity” that emerged from community-based a cappella groups called jubilee quartets, said Joyce Jackson, an anthropologist at Louisiana State University. As these groups added instruments to their music and they were invited to churches to perform. This union between musicians, churches and gospel’s communal nature created a foundation where Mahalia Jackson found her passion for singing gospel music, Jackson said. A concert after the conference featured singer Irma Thomas as well as Dr. Michael White’s Original Liberty Jazz Band with vocalist Cynthia Girtley. Hannah Dean is a junior Newcomb Scholar majoring in Latin American studies and political science.
From the neighborhoods of New Orleans to the laboratory of one of the most respected research facilities in the world, Suzanne McShane is determined to end breast cancer. She received a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University in May, with a Political Economy major and a minor in Cell & Molecular Biology. She leveraged a blend of these disciplines to develop a research project that measures the accessibility and affordability of breast cancer screenings in New Orleans. The research assesses the supply and demand of breast cancer screenings to determine if the services available match the need for screenings. Examining information from the eight parishes in the metro area, her work reveals that the city does not have the minimum resources available to provide every woman over 40 with a mammogram every two years. Louisiana is ranked second in the nation for highest deaths due to breast cancer, and New Orleans has some of the highest mortality rates in Louisiana. “The story, however, is not just a numbers game,” says McShane. “The risk of developing breast cancer varies across all ages, races, income
levels, education levels, insurance statuses, and even location.” As part of the Newcomb Scholars program, she presented her findings at the group’s annual symposium. She advocated simple steps that could make a real difference for those most at risk, including a mobile mammography van that would provide services to those in the many neighborhoods without clinics or mammography machines. McShane, originally from Warwick, New York, has spent her undergraduate career pursuing solutions as well as accessibility. In addition to her fieldwork in the community, she spent the last two summers interning for the Center for Cancer Genome Discovery at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. She currently holds a position there as a research technician, continuing her mission to save lives. “I am incredibly excited to begin working on another facet of the battle against cancer: cancer genome analysis. Access and utilization of screening and current treatments are obviously incredibly important, however, it is research that will bring a definitive end to cancer.”
Learning from the Leader One of the most powerful women in American politics has a message for her female counterparts in the workplace. “Know your power,” said former U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, speaking at an event on campus last September. “Take inventory of who you are and what you want to do. Follow your passion.” To those who take this advice to heart, she promised, “People will respond to you.” Pelosi, a California Democrat, is
now the house minority leader. She became the first female speaker of the house in 2007. Pelosi spoke at the forum, “When Women Succeed, America Succeeds: An Economic Agenda for Women and Families,” hosted by U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, a Louisiana Democrat and a Tulane Law School graduate. The event, created to spark dialogue about the recent agenda, featured firsthand accounts from Louisiana women who face a wide array of challenges due to the inequity of the job market. Members of Newcomb’s Women in Politics student organization were given special access to the former speaker. The group, which aims to engage undergraduates with current political issues, organized a luncheon in the spring honoring women leaders from across the university community. Jamie Logan is a sophomore majoring in English, psychology and early childhood education at Tulane University.
Trans Activist Kate Bornstein Electrifies Campus The university community welcomed the performance artist, playwright, and nationally known author of several books, including Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women, and The Rest of Us; My Gender Workbook; Hello, Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks, and Other Outlaws, and a memoir, A Queer and Pleasant Danger: the true story of a nice Jewish boy who joins the Church of Scientology, and leaves twelve years later to become the lovely lady she is today. Bornstein’s visit was this year’s annual Custard
Lecture on Gender and Sexuality. Gender studies students and members of the Gender Exploration Society were thrilled by Kate’s warm and open demeanor and encouraging and supportive comments. Following these intimate gatherings with students, Kate gave a talk to a standing room only crowd in Stone Auditorium. “Binaries rob us of our imagination, our compassion, our ability to see deeper into the person we’re with,” she told the audience.
This year, the African American Women’s Society was recognized for Excellence in a Community Engagement Project. The group’s executive board organized their annual Hair Affair event, celebrating and uniting women across the community.
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ow does an educator harness students’ natural passion for learning? “I’ve seen so many children come into our school system, our youngest children, and they love school. There are so many great stories and so many great people. As a country, we hear far more stories about what is wrong than about what is strong” says Meria Carstarphen (NC ’92), the new superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools. Carstarphen’s vision for schools that embrace possibility and positive outcomes serves her well in her position as leader of a district recovering from turmoil. In 2009, a national scandal surrounding Atlanta teachers and administrators that enabled cheating on standardized tests thrust the debate over high-stakes testing into the national spotlight.Teachers who confessed to cheating blamed “inordinate pressure” to meet targets set by the district and said they faced severe consequences such as a negative evaluation or termination if they didn’t. With this controversy in the near past, Carstarphen took over her new position in 2014, guided by a commitment to change the culture for both students and teachers. Today, Carstarphen leads and provides oversight to the district’s 50,000 students, 7,000 employees, and 123 learning sites with an $850 million budget. Her philosophy is simple. “It should be that when those kids enter that schoolhouse gate, they get a quality education. At the heart of that is why it’s the cornerstone of our democracy. When our education systems are weak, so is our country.” As an expert on urban public school administration, she feels that sometimes the core purpose of education can be pushed to the margins. “The challenge that I see is that in these systems, that core purpose, why we come every day, gets lost when communities aren’t laser-like in their focus that it should be a child-centered agenda for the purpose of educating children that prepares them for college or career. The challenge around purpose and focus sends the entire system into a spiral that doesn’t get great outcomes for kids.” Cartstarphen believes that children should be at the center of every effort in public education. Otherwise, she notes, “For every great strategy we’ve had, the culture will eat it for breakfast every day if we don’t move closer to that child-centered experience faster. It is the hardest work I’ve ever done.” Her passion for education springs from her own time in public schools. As a child growing up in Selma, Alabama in the 1980s, Carstarphen was keenly aware of the historic significance of her hometown and how a legacy of inequality played out on the experiences of children. “My own personal experience in the town and public schools and really seeing what happens when you don’t have a quality education. It was so sobering to experience an educational environment that still had racially segregated systems, private
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“You have to have critical thinking skills to see when someone else is making decisions for you. You have to be informed to make decisions for you, your family, and your community. You have the unique opportunity to influence the future of the country.”
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white academies and public integrated schools, and to be in a town that was still struggling with what it meant to have experienced the struggle of civil rights. Growing up in it and knowing how education can be an equalizing force in closing gaps around poverty, I was aware of that in the first grade, that’s how powerful that experience was.” Those experiences shaped her eventual career path, which included work as a journalist. But she was still drawn to education. “I wanted to understand issues, to get in the classroom, and now to be a superintendent, to drive and fix some of the things that have gone off track in our urban public schools in America. It’s really what drives me to be passionate about this work.” With nearly 20 years of experience in education, Carstarphen previously served as the first woman and first African-American superintendent of the Austin Independent School District from 2009 to 2014. While there, she and her leadership team made extraordinary achievements in academic excellence that included improved graduation rates that reached an all-time high of 82.5 percent, and a reduced longitudinal dropout rate by 25 percent. She credits the success in Austin, in part, to efforts to move away from a culture driven by a dependency on high-stakes testing to one that emphasizes the whole child, every child; social and emotional learning; equal arts-rich environments; alternative pathways to graduation; and disciplinary program reform. While in Austin, Carstarphen had an opportunity to work with leaders of The Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders. Founded to give young women from economically disadvantaged backgrounds the skills and confidence necessary to pursue college educations and careers, it now stands as one of the largest single-
gender public schools in the nation and a tribute to the enduring legacy of Texas Governor Richards, an ardent feminist who dedicated herself to breaking down barriers for women to fully participate in career and community. “When I first started in education, the research was about closing the gap between boys and girls. Girls over time have really closed that gap. The good news is that it’s something that we have addressed. I am more hopeful now than ever that girls are getting better educational experiences, that they are taking harder classes, being more involved in sports. We have single sex schools that focus on what it is that young women may need that is different than boys.” She’s also worked with single-sex options in Atlanta, providing an opportunity to focus on building confidence and overcoming challenges specific to the lives of young women. “I feel like this experience is a choice that should be open to our women and their families,” said the superintendent. “In some of the most critical developmental stages in middle school and high school, being more focused and having this kind of support network can be of great value.” She recalls that her time at Newcomb taught her the value of women-focused education that never went away. “I am so blessed to have experienced that sense of sisterhood that never goes away. Even if you didn’t know each other at all, that shared experience connects you all for life. When you find out someone has a Newcomb College education, you start from an entirely different place.” Carstarphen earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science and Spanish from Newcomb College in 1992, and master of education degrees from Auburn University and Harvard University. Carstarphen earned a doctorate in administration, planning, and social policy, with a concentration in urban superintendency from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She says that for those considering a career in education, it’s important to be able to articulate your vision. “It doesn’t matter which seat at the table you’re sitting in. I think it’s more important now more than ever that our leadership truly know what they believe in and stand for. Take the time to reflect on your value system and anchor it in a way that is transparent to your school community. Then people know who you are so they can decide if you’re the best match for where they want to take their school or district.” Expecting positive outcomes while working for the future is key. “I don’t think we have kid problems, we have a lot of adult pressures that have complicated these environments. The research around hope is really clear. Hope is a better indicator of success in college than GPA or grades. I don’t think it takes a lot in our community to give every child a little bit of hope about their future and the next great thing in their future. It doesn’t cost any money and it doesn’t take any more time to let them feel like we’re investing in them.”
Carstarphen leads and provides oversight to the district’s 50,000 students, 7,000 employees, and 123 learning sites with an $850 million budget.
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What’s Newcomb’s mentoring program takes the mystery out of life after college
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Next? By Sophia Leonard (LA ’15)
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very year one particular question hangs heavy on the minds and hearts of students facing an increasingly competitive landscape after graduation: What’s next? The question can induce a range of emotions, from unbridled excitement and anticipation at best, to restless uncertainty and unease at worst. In these moments, the value of a mentor, someone who has faced similar anxieties and navigated the same unfamiliar terrain, is unparalleled. The Women to Women Mentoring Program, a new initiative of the Newcomb Alumnae Association, aims to bridge the gap between college and life after Tulane by closely linking undergraduate women with the vast network of talented, dedicated Newcomb alumnae. The program pairs undergraduate women with an alumna that has excelled in her field, providing the means for mentees to make meaningful professional connections early and often. Mentors have the unique opportunity to share their own experiences, wisdom, and advice with a student eager to learn more about their field and career path. The launch comes after nearly a year of preparation, planning, and implementation spearheaded by Newcomb Alumnae Board Member Liz Clark (NC ’74, B ’79). She credits the idea for building a Newcomb mentorship program to the fact that, growing up, she had many accomplished professional women who served as supportive guides, an unusual feat in the 1960s. “I was fortunate to be surrounded by excellent female role models as I was growing up,” Clark recalled. “My mother was a working professional and college professor and her friends were extremely accomplished—attorneys, judges, professors, foundation directors, editors.” When she began a career of her own upon graduating from Newcomb and Tulane’s School of Business, the dearth of women in business surprised her. She soon realized that the presence of women in professional leadership roles was closely connected to having strong connections with supportive women mentors in the early stages of a career. Clark wanted to build a program that would fill that gap for current students. “I knew Liz Clark (NC ’74, B ’79) there was a need for establishing a mentoring program to enable women to really connect with other women. And, not just connect via email or texting but establishing a connection based on interaction rather than just electronic methods.” Almost fifty matches were made this year. Majors and careers were diverse, from neurobiology to decorative arts; there was an ideal match for every student and mentor. The connections forged even in the first year of the program have left strong imprints, as the experiences of recent graduate Gianna Stoleru (LA ’15, PHTM ’15) and mentor Dr. Elizabeth Bellino (NC ’98, PHTM ’99, R ’00) demonstrate. Gianna, a driven, dual-degree
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Mentor Dr. Elizabeth Bellino (NC ’98, PHTM ’99, R ’00), left, and Gianna Stoleru (LA ’15, PHTM ’15), right.
student in Public Health and Spanish with dreams of pursuing medicine, understood the benefit of engaging with the large network of Newcomb alumnae because of her involvement as vice-president of Newcomb Senate. The group aims to connect with alumnae and maintain important Newcomb traditions. When the unique opportunity arose to be matched with a talented mentor in her field, she signed up immediately. Gianna sought a mentor with experience in the medical field who could offer guidance and support through the daunting application process, someone who could “answer questions about the field and medical school that I couldn’t find answers to anywhere else.” She was matched with Dr. Elizabeth Bellino, an accomplished pediatrician with an extensive background in local and global medical service. Dr. Bellino’s own connections to Newcomb and Tulane run deep; not only did she receive an undergraduate degree in Anthropology from Newcomb College, but she also completed her Master’s in International Health and later her pediatrics residency at Tulane. Dr. Bellino chose to become a Newcomb mentor because she knew the importance of feeling supported in building leaders and driving success in all endeavors beyond college. “When women lead,” Dr. Bellino noted, “they not only lead in business, but they also lead in their community, they fight for their children, and they give voice to the issues that are important to our collective future, like education and health care.” Even from their very first meeting, Gianna realized that Dr. Bellino’s insight would prove invaluable as she began taking the steps to realize her dream of medical school. Dr. Bellino quickly stepped into the role of mentor for Gianna by assisting her with the tangible aspects of her application, including looking over her personal statement and offering to provide mock interviews, and providing helpful advice about the overall field of medicine. As Gianna began to think beyond her applications towards the type of career and life she ultimately hoped to live, Dr. Bellino’s wisdom and experience quickly came to mind. “Elizabeth went above and beyond what I expected to gain from her mentorship,” explains Gianna. “She serves as a great role model to me and I often say that she is the doctor and person that I can see myself as in the future.” It is that very feeling of connection and admiration, of a relationship that resonates deeper than simply professional networking, that makes the Women to Women Mentoring Program a successful new initiative with a promising future to come. Not only does the program connect enthusiastic students with supportive, accomplished role models in their field, but it also serves to strengthen the tradition of women’s leadership and education established by Newcomb College. Or, as Gianna explains it, “The program furthers the Newcomb legacy by connecting the past with the present. Meeting a mentor, or any Newcomb alum, reminds people of the school and its existence which is necessary to preserving Newcomb history and its legacy.” This fall, as Gianna begins her study of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, the question What’s next? doesn’t seem too hard to answer, especially with mentor Dr. Elizabeth Bellino at her side. Sophia Leonard is member of the Newcomb Scholars Class of 2015, currently pursuing her master’s degree in Tulane’s English Department.
The Women to Women Mentor Program is currently accepting applications for mentors, with a particular focus on alumnae in the hard sciences and technology. For more information and to apply please visit newcombalumnae.org. 12
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Newcomb Scholar Sarah Lohmeier (SE ’16) spent the summer teaching girls the skills to succeed in the tech world, and it goes beyond bits and bytes.
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t seems like every day, technology becomes more and more ingrained into our daily lives: from Amazon to Google to Twitter, new software constantly revolutionizes our routines and makes us more efficient, more connected, and more powerful. But who creates this software? Think of a few computer programmers: names like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, or Steve Jobs might come to mind. Keep thinking, and you might remember Alan Turing, Tim Cook, Jack Dorsey, Elon Musk, or David Karp. Can you name any women programmers? If you can’t, it’s understandable: women fill only 16 percent of technical roles at major tech companies such as Apple, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft, and only 18 percent of computer science degree recipients are women. And those numbers aren’t likely to change soon: 0.4 percent of women entering college say they intend to major in computer science. Like any other major problem in the tech world, there’s an exciting and innovative new solution starting to make waves. Girls Who Code is a national program teaching high school girls computer science at camps and clubs across the country. As a teaching assistant at one of the immersive summer camps in Washington, D.C., I’m spending my summer with 20 amazing
young women who entered with no previous programming skills and are now coding circles around me. (Literal circles—they were programming robots this week.) Over the course of the summer, my students will learn how to code in at least 5 different programming languages, and they’ll learn the equivalent of an AP or introductory college course in computer science theory. In addition to these hard skills, they’ll learn soft skills such as how to prepare for a technical interview, how to follow up with a guest speaker, and how to create a strong LinkedIn profile. Every single day, my fellow teachers
“We aren’t just aiming for gender equality in the tech industry. We’re using tech to promote gender equality, and in doing so we’re programming a better world.” and I step into the classroom determined and delighted to teach these girls a few key truths: that they can code, that they can learn how to do anything if they try hard enough, and that with their new coding skills, they can build software that will change the world.
Student Voices, Student Action
CRACKING THE CODE TO MORE WOMEN IN TECH
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Lawsuit Records
Now at Newcomb
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he historical records of one of the most important victories in pay equity legislation have found a home in the Newcomb Archives. In its ongoing efforts to expand its collections, this spring Newcomb Archives received a donation of over one hundred boxes of records documenting the life and work of Sylvia Roberts (L ’56). The collection contains tens of thousands of documents covering Roberts’ almost sixty-year legal career, throughout which she dedicated her life to ending gender-based discrimination in the workplace and furthering the rights of women. Roberts was active in the founding of the National Organization for Women and served as Vice President of the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund (now known as Legal Momentum). She is best known for her successful defense of Lorena Weeks on behalf of NOW in her case against Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company, a story that was recently featured in the groundbreaking PBS series Makers as one of the key successes in the nation’s second wave feminist movement. Weeks had worked as a Southern Bell telephone operator for many years when she decided to apply for a higher paying position as a company switchman. She was denied on the basis that the job was only open to men, citing a Georgia state rule that women employees could not be made to lift anything heavier than thirty pounds. Weeks argued that in her current job she was required to lift a thirty-four pound typewriter every day. She filed a legal appeal but lost in district court. Weeks then began writing all reports by hand in protest, rather than carry her typewriter to her desk, resulting in her suspension. She then brought her case to NOW and Sylvia Roberts was assigned to represent her before the Fifth Circuit. Roberts eventually won the case on appeal in 1969, arguing that the idea that no woman could lift thirty pounds was absurd given that many women routinely carried children weighing thirty pounds or more. Weeks was compensated $31,000 in back pay and was given the switchman’s job; the case marked an important early legal victory for NOW in the fight against gender-based workplace discrimination. Reflecting on the case more than forty years later, Roberts recalled, “The Weeks case gave momentum to NOW because it showed that we, as women, could use the system, that we could achieve this equality under the law. It wasn’t fanciful, it wasn’t pie in the sky. It could be done, and we did it.” The records of Roberts’ casework for Weeks v. Southern Bell are among several distinct bodies of legal records (organized as archival “series”) that make up the collection. Other examples include the records of Sharon Johnson v. University of Pittsburg, during which Roberts defended Dr. Johnson in her case against the University of Pittsburg for wrongful termination and denial of tenure. The collection also covers Roberts’ work on behalf of those wrongfully committed to hospitals for the criminally insane, as well as her legal efforts to prevent domestic violence. Roberts was born in 1933 in Bryan, Texas. She spent the first ten years of her life in Lafayette, LA, until moving to Los Angeles in 1945. She graduated from UCLA in 1953 and was accepted into their Law School, but chose to return to Louisiana and attend LSU. She later transferred to
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Tulane Law School where she completed her degree. After graduating, Roberts moved to Paris to attend the Sorbonne, where she studied comparative law. She began her legal career in New Orleans, working for the law firm of H. Alva Brumfield and later transferring to their Baton Rouge office. Shortly after her passing in December 2014, the Newcomb Archives was contacted by the family of Sylvia Roberts and her former paralegal, Fanny Godwin, as potential recipients of the collection. The work that followed involved many trips back and forth to Baton Rouge, where Roberts’ law offices were located, to retrieve the records. Much of the collection had suffered from pest infestations and the negative affects of humidity and water damage after years in storage. Archives staff has worked to painstakingly preserve the collection so that researchers will be able to use it for years to come. They are currently working to process the entire collection, which entails removing rusting staples, decomposing rubber bands, and other debris from documents, placing all documents into acid-free folders and then into acid-free storage cartons, and finally inventorying all records in an archival “finding aid” that researchers may use as a guide to the collection. Given the size and scope of the collection we anticipate completing all processing work some time during the spring of 2016. Although making the collection available for use will be a lengthy process, the Sylvia Roberts Papers will be a cornerstone among the current collections that document the lives and work of Gulf South women involved in the second wave feminist movement. Sylvia Roberts’ unwavering commitment to improving the lives of women is captured in this important collection.
WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WEEKS CASE?
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See interviews with Sylvia Roberts and Lorena Weeks online at PBS.org as part of episode #1 of the acclaimed PBS documentary MAKERS: Women Who Make America, which tells the story of the modern American women’s movement. NEWCOMB FALL 2015
IN THE DETAILS by Maddy Lafuse, Sylvia Roberts Papers Processing Intern, Summer 2015
T
o read the record of Sylvia Roberts’ life as these boxes upon boxes of her documents would tell it is to be immersed in the world of second wave feminism. It’s here in all its beauty— letters signed, ‘Yours in the struggle,’ declarations of independence penned by rebel organizations of suburban homemakers and the valiant efforts made to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. But there are also bitter letters of resignation, budget crises, claims from college women that they are as liberated as they care to be thank-you-very-much as well as the conspicuous silence on complicated, intersectional issues of identity that would eventually become the focus of today’s feminism. These problems did not arise from a lack of dedication. Folders of travel receipts (“hamburger for lunch, $1.60”) attest to Roberts’ superhuman energy and commitment. When she wasn’t caring for her baby, the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund, she was zigzagging across the country to speak with judges, professional organizations, small-town women’s groups and anyone else who might
help the cause. She did it all with grace, intelligence and a fire inside of her that never tolerated injustice. So how did she and the other unsung feminist heroines stay sane in a world arranged against them? Letters full of love and solidarity, such as one I found typewritten on a cocktail napkin reporting nothing more than her comrades-in-arms were “drinking Southern Comforts” and “carrying on in general ways” and wouldn’t she like to move to Atlanta to join them? I pick the staples out of these gems, wipe away the dust, smooth them out and tuck them away feeling good that I’ve preserved her story/herstory. It may not be a glamorous job, but I’m more than happy to do it for a woman who did so much for me. Maddy Lafuse, LA ’15, recently graduated from Tulane University with majors in Linguistics, History, Asian Studies, and Gender and Sexuality Studies. After completing her summer internship she will be moving to China for a year to teach English. She plans to eventually pursue a Ph.D. in early American history with an emphasis in queer history.
Passing THE TORCH
JOB WELL DONE
Saying Goodbye to Newcomb Archivist Susan Tucker
F
or almost three decades, Curator of Books and Records for the Newcomb Archives Susan Tucker (NC ’72) was in service to her alma mater. This summer, Tucker retired, leaving behind a legacy of books, papers, and other materials that serve as a resource to students, scholars, and her fellow alumnae. Along with others on the Newcomb College staff, Tucker founded the Newcomb Archives in 1988, first pulling scrapbooks and student records from a vault in Newcomb Hall and a basement in Josephine Louise House. Over the years, the Archives added about sixty manuscript collections, forming a concentration on the lives of women who attended the College or taught in the University, and of women who shaped the Louisiana women’s movement. During these years, she also expanded the Oral History Project. Now available online, interviewees recall stories of their classes,
professors, and social life, all while painting a picture of their experiences on campus and in the city of New Orleans. In addition to managing the Newcomb Archives, Tucker served as an editor of Newcomb College, 1886-2006 (LSU Press, 2012) and Women Pioneers of the Louisiana Environmental Movement (University Press of Mississippi, 2013). Earlier works include Telling Memories Among Southern Women (LSU Press, 1988), which served as an inspiration for the blockbuster novel and 2011 film The Help. As a last gift to her alma mater, Tucker is asking alums to contribute pictures of themselves to the Newcomb Photograph Collection. Photos can be mailed or submitted electronically. Always thinking of the archival record, she notes. “Photographs of you at whatever stage of life will allow us to help researchers as they study the lives women have led.”
Chloe Raub (NC ’07) has taken the helm as the head of the Newcomb Archives and Vorhoff Library Special Collections. Her career in archives began at the Newcomb Archives her senior year at Newcomb. She then lived and worked in Washington, DC for six years, where she held positions with several libraries and archives, including George Washington University’s Special Collections Research Center and the American Institute of Physics Neils Bohr Library and Archives, as well as an internship with the Library of Congress American Folklife Center. Chloe has a Master of Arts in Anthropology with a concentration in Museum Training from George Washington University and a Master of Library and Information Science with a concentration in Cultural Heritage Information Management from The Catholic University of America.
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This year’s Professional Achievement Award went to Marsha Firestone, Ph.D., founder and president of the Women Presidents’ Organization and the Women Presidents’ Educational Organization.
Celebrating Excellence Alumna Marsha Firestone Receives University’s Professional Achievement Award
“While there were many programs for startups, there were none for women-led businesses that had achieved a level of success.”
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arsha Firestone (NC ’65) has been a trailblazer for women throughout her distinguished career. This spring, the university recognized her accomplishments at at the 2015 Tulane Alumni Awards Gala at the U.S. Freedom Pavilion in the National World War II Museum. Firestone is founder and president of the Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO),
which began in 1997 as a peer advisory organization for women who own multimillion-dollar businesses. She is also the founder and president of the Women Presidents’ Educational Organization, dedicated to increasing access to business opportunities for women’s business enterprises. A native of Mobile, Alabama, her current role is just the latest chapter in an impressive biography. She previously served as Vice President of Women Incorporated and as Vice President of Training and Counseling at the American Woman’s Economic Development Corporation (AWED). Marsha earned a Master’s degree in Communication from Teacher’s College of New York and a Ph.D. in Communication from Columbia University, where Margaret Mead sat on her dissertation committee.
As Firestone built her impressive dossier, she still found time to serve her alma mater. She served on the TAA’s Board of Directors from 1999-2000, the Newcomb Dean’s Advisory Council in 2006, evolving into a role on the Newcomb College Institute’s Director’s Advisory Council, where she has served since 2008. She told the Huffington Post, “I started WPO because I became aware that while there were many programs for startups, there were none for women-led businesses that had achieved a level of success. So after I realized there was a niche in the marketplace that was not being served, I came up with a way to do just that… We will continue to service our peers by bringing the ‘genius out of the group.’ WPO is as much about giving as it is about getting.”
NEWCOMB Donor Honor Roll We appreciate the financial support of alumnae, parents, and friends. We proudly announce the donors to Newcomb College Institute, including those that have made gifts to the Newcomb Alumnae Association, during the 2014-2015 fiscal year. Thank you for your support..
Donor Honor Roll Ann Alden Meredith Alexander Vanann Allen Debra Alpert Nell Amos and Henry Amos Kathryn Anderson and Larry Anderson Donna Angel Nicole Anliker Tessa Arbanih Linda Argote and Dennis Epple Katsuko Arimura Izabel Arnold Joan Arnold Mary Arnold Teresa Auch and Michael Auchh Kim Austin Paige Axelrod Barbara Aycock and Ellis Aycock Joanne Babin and Edward Babin Rebecca Baker Ellen Ball and Macnaughton Ball Martha Barnett and Richard Barnett Melinda Barras Sarah Basinger Susan Baughman Elaine Baylor Cynthia Beaird and Brice Beaird Meredith Beers Laura Bellas and Sam Bellas Elizabeth Bellinoh Jill Bellone and Christopher Bellone Sherrill Benjamin and Emanuel Benjamin Jennifer Benoit and Jason Benoit Susan Berg and Paul Berg Louellen Berger and Darryl Berger Mary Ann Bernard Patti Harp and Michael Bernstein Beth Beskin and Jim Beskin Ginger Besthoff and Nancy Aronson Lisette Betancourt Julie Bevington Marion Bienvenu Lavinia Bircher and Edgar Bircher Sue Blackshear Lisa Blitt and David Blitt Rita Bloom and Herschel Bloom Judith Bonner and Thomas Bonner Joy Booth-Roussel and James Roussel Claudia Borman Susan Borrelli Julia Bosson and Brockton Bosson Bonnie Bourg* Sharon Bourgeois and St. Paul Bourgeois Daniel Bozard Jennifer Brachfeld and Michael Brachfeld Alethea Braggh Allison Brandt Sarah Brannan Carole Bratter Marti Breen and Charles Crutchfield Margaret Brittle and Edward Brittleh Mary Brogden
Carol Brooks Helen Brooks and Teryl Brooks Julia Broome Barbara Burgess Jessica Burt Patsy Calhoun Myrl Cambias Emily Cardinas and Edy Delgadoh Delia Carr Heather Cartier and Geoffrey Cartier Michelle Cash and Warren Cash Pamela Caster and Mark Caster Susan Cator and David Cator Jane Cease and Ronald Cease Sherry Cesare Aisha Champagne Clarissa Chandler and Warren Chandler Bonnie Chapman and William Chapman Sabina Chatman-Altman and James Altman Brian Cherny Lindsey Childs-Kean Dolly Chisholm Chun-Chih Chiu and I-Ping Chiu Liz Clark and Courtney West Holly Clement and Stephen Clement Pamella Clemmons and Roland Clemmons Gretchen Cloud and Holt Cloud Jane Cohen and Richard Cohen Katherine Colley and Rob Colley Susan Cook and Clayton Cook Charlotte Cooksey Heather Corbetth Emily Cotter Mary Ann Couch and Ellis Couch Rachel Nelson Couper and Eric Couper Kaye Courington and Lance Rydberg Jamie Covell Sarah Covert Marisa Crabtree Lisa Cremin and W. Harlan Lisa Cristal and Bruce Cybul Henrietta Currier Vegas Curry Karen Daigle Michelle Daigle and Allen Daigle Elizabeth Daley Jenni Daniel Frank Daspit Robyn Davies Sally Davis Yvette Davis Alison deClouet Maureen Detweiler Patricia Di Muzio Jean Dillahunty Clare Dimaunahan and Scott Mendenhall Sandra Discepolo and William Discepolo Palmour Dodd and Palmour Dodd Penny Doerries Nancy Dolce and Carl Dolce
Nancy Donoghue and Patrick Donoghue Annette Doskey Clare Doyle Sarah Dreyer Jill Duncan and Raymond Belknap Ruth DuPont Marcella Durand and Richard O’Russa Elizabeth Dwyer Mary Dyerh Emily Edelson Catherine Edwards and David Edwards Paula Eichenbrenner Lauren Elkin Suzanne Ellis Jennifer Ellison and Charles Ellison Lea Ellison Jane Emling Betty Epley Sherry Erlandson and Todd Erlandson Donna Esteves and Richard Esteves Lawrence Eustis Loraine Evans Merri Ex and Mitchell Ex Lisette Fabacher and James Fabacher Phyllis Feibelman Elizabeth Fiato and Alexander Fiato Marilyn Filderman and Robert Filderman Kristina Fink Nancy Fink and Burton Fink Marsha Firestone and Monroe Firestone Jill Fisher and Geoffrey Fisher Marlive Fitzpatrick and Michael Fitzpatrick Suzy Fleming Carter Flemming and Michael Flemmingh Ann Flowerree Catherine Floyd Sally Forb Louise Foreman and Mark Foreman Eleanor Foster Frances Foster and James Foster Margaret Francez Jean Frankh Amanda Frankel and Matthew Frankel Andria Frankfort Linn Freedman and Steven Freedman Patricia Freeland Monica Fried and Gabriel Fried Linda Friedman and Richard Friedman Katherine Gage Nancy Gajewski Mary Garrard Heinz Geiss Beth Ann Gemunder and David Gemunder Elizabeth Gerhart and Stephen Gerhart Mary Edith Germeau Jodi Gill Barbara Ginsberg and Howard Ginsberg
Clare Glassell Carole Gloger Lisa Godsick Nancy Goedecke and Glenn Goedecke Jacqueline Gold and Melvin Gold Nan Gold and Hershey Gold Doris Goldstein and Martin Goldstein Carol Goodfriend and Barry Goodfriend Ella Goodyear Hallie Gorup and John Gorup Jackie Gothard and Sol Gothardh Karen Gould Gay Graves Ann Green and Frank Green Jessica Green Tricia Greene and Edmond Turner Jane Grimshaw Cheryl Grisson Jane Grubin and Simon Grubin Nicolette Guillou Valerie Habif and Neil Wasser Adrienne Haden and Victor Quiroz Katherine Haines Elizabeth Hall and John Hall Ally Halperin Susan Halperin and Lawrence Halperin Marian Hammond Gracie Hanchrow and Jack Hanchrow Priscilla Handy Jackson Hardy Susan Harmon Diane Harris and James Harris Julie Harris and Seth Harris Lucie Harris and Louie Harris Kathleen Hawk and Malcolm Hawk Kirsten Hawkins Margaret Hebert Susan Hecht and Richard Hecht Rosaria Heide and Rudolph Heide Callie Heilmann Jackie Hendershott Jean Hendrickson and David Hendrickson Marian Herbert-Bruno Charlotte Herman Demere Hess Caroline Hickman and Harrison Hickman Daphne Hill Susan Hill Gail Himmelstein Caroline Hinrichs Malliron Hodge Nancy Hoffman and Phillip Hoffman Claudia Holland and Charles Holland Susan Holton Louise Horn Bitsy Horwich Benaz Hossain Patricia Hurley and Kim Hill Dolliann Hurtig Andrea Huseman and Jeffrey Huseman Evelyn Hutchens Denise Ifkovic Mary Irvine*
Lanier Isom and Hugo Isom Eva Jacobson Caroline Jarboe Sarah Jernigan Jean Jew Melinda Jones and Albert Jones Anne Jones and Kenneth Jones Susy Joseph and Kurian Kurian Ann Joslyn and William Edgar Bernice Junge Heather Jurist and Harold Jurist Mary Kaiser and Kenneth Kaiser Adrienne Kalbacher and Karl Kalbacherh Hydi Kalmin and Bruce Kalmin Jill Kantrow and Michael Kantrow Susan Kantrow and Byron Kantrow Elizabeth Katz and Clifford Katz Melissa Katz and James Crane-Baker Linda Katz and Steve Katz Angela Keesee Carol Kellermann and Scott Kellermann Esther Kelly Ann Kenney and John Kenney Sally Kenney and Norman Foster Ann Keogh Evelyn Keyes and David Keyes Anne Kincer and Reginald Kincer Maria Kirkikis Andrea Kislan Samantha Klein Stephanie Knopp and Stephen Wilcox Mary Kock Sarah Kocsis Eleanor Komet Barbara Koslov and Geoffrey Koslov Mary Koss and Gene Koss Glenna Kramer and Thomas Kramer Rebecca Krause and William Krause Nan Heard and Paul Krogstad Edith Kuebel Molli Kuenstner Catherine Kuhlman and William Kuhlman Deborah Kuhner and Harry Kuhner Marilyn Kullman and Paul Kullman Bobbi Kurshan and Richard Kurshan Ethelyn LaHaye and Philip LaHaye Judith Lamet Elizabeth Lamon and Fred Lamonh Amelie Lanaux and Pierre Lanaux Jacklyn Lane Mary Langlois Andrea Lapsley and Robert Lapsley Constance Larimer Danielle Lee and Benjamin Lee Nancy Leeds Ruthie Legum and Edward Legum Sophia Leonard Gayle Lesser Blaine Levenson Andrea Leverentz Alyssa Lewis and Shawn Lewis Lisa Leydon
* deceased h donations to the Newcomb Alumnae Association This information is accurate to the best of our knowledge as of July 31, 2015.
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NEWCOMB Donor Honor Roll
Sharan Lieberman and Jordan Karlitz Barbara Lief and Jonathan Lief Nia Lizannah Loretta Loftus Leann Logsdon Elizabeth Lorber Leslie Lovett and Scott Kohn Wendy Ludwig Sandra Luxenberg and Malcolm Luxenberg Virginia Macagnonih Olivia Mahler-Haug Anna Mahoney and Patrick Mahoney Ann Mahornerh Virginia Maietta Catherine Makk Barbara Malone and Bill Malone Denise Malone and Thomas Malone Frances Manley Barbara Marcus Sylvia Margolies and Lawrence Margolies Deirdre Martel Suzanne Martin and Terry Martin Carol Marx and Stanley Marx Shirley Masinter Jerry McAninch and William McAninch Kay McArdleh Carolyn McCall Marilyn McConnell and Jody Gates Mary Young-McCoy and Stephen McCoy Anne McCulloch and Ned McCulloch Nancy McDaniel and Walt Galkowskih Barbara McInturff and Leslie McInturff Elizabeth McKenney and Mark McKenney Jean McKinley Jennifer McLaughlin Sandra McNamee and Douglas McNamee Claire McVadon and Wayne McVadon Sharon Melville and Nornam Bridges Cathy Memory Naomi Meyers Emily Middleton Madalene Mielke Priscilla Mims Lisa Miotti and Timothy Miotti Mary Mithoff and Oliver Mithoff Andrea Moffitt and Steve Moffitt Sandra Moise and Greg Moise Edith Monsees and Wayne Monsees Rebecca Moore and Nolan Moore Lindsay Morren Marcia Morrison Anne Morse and James Morse Andree Moss Jan Mounger and William Mounger Linda Murphy-Wand and Tim Wand Lamar Murphy and William Murphy Jossy Nebenzahl Pud Nelson and David Nelsonh
Virginia Nelsonh Danielle Newlin and Clifton Newlin Laura Nicholson Barbara Noble Lisa Norris Kacey O’Brien and John O’Brien Kim O’Brien Suzanne O’Brien and Charles O’Brien Karen O’Connell Colleen O’Donnell James Odom and James Odom Jeanne Olivier and Bob Dineen Linda Orbach and Alexander Orbach Stacy Orloff Judith Page and William Page Jessica Pardee Rachelle Parker and Nathan Parker Nan Peacocke Eileen Pekarev and Max Pekarev Karen Pekow and Joel Pekow Sofia Pendley and Shane Pendley Clara Perry and Mike Schwartz Arielle Peters and William Peters Lauren Pettiette Elvia Pfefferle Lessa Phillips Anne Phillipy Paula Picker and Joel Picker Carolyn Piggott Margaret Pinkston Soo-Kuen Plenkovich and Dinko Plenkovich Catherine Posey and Marshall Posey Janet Postell and John Postell Lauran Potter Carol Marks and Laurance Potter Linda Potter and Barry Potter Marcia Pottle Sherry Prehoda and Michael Prehoda Andrea Price and Todd Price Edith Ptacek Michelle Quatmann and Paul Quatmann Ann Queen Sarah Quintano Mary Radford and Robert Dana Lida Raffel and Mark Raffel Kelly Raglandh Kara Ramsey Diane Rankin and Alexander Rankin Ieva Rasmussen and James Rasmussen Melinda Raso-Kirstein and Philip Kirstein Sondra Redmont Patricia Reed and Raymond Reed Ivanka Reksono Jamie Rennar Alisha Renshaw and Robert Renshaw Jill Reynolds Kym Rice and Mark Rice Lisa Rice Barbara Richman and Leonard Richman Yolanda Rivera* Amanda Roberts and Sean Roberts Winifred Robinson and Alex Robinson Frances Roche
* deceased h donations to the Newcomb Alumnae Association This information is accurate to the best of our knowledge as of July 31, 2015.
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Cathleen Roche and Francis Roche Julie Rochman Sue Roen and William Roen Regina Rogers Sonja Romanowski Becky Roniger Gayle Rosenthal Katharine Ross-Merrell and Jim Merrell Marie Ross and John Ross Andrea Royce Michael Rubenstein Norma Rubin and Sanford Rubin Elizabeth Ruppert Elisa Rusonis and Paul Rusonis Tara Ryan and Geoff Ryan Joyce Sabatier* Sara Saber and Joel Saber Graham Sadler Aracelly Santana Judy Saslow Stephanie Savor Barbara Sayes Sallie Scanlan Ketti Scarborough and William Scarborough Susan Schaefer Sally Schein-Mingo and Eugene Mingoh Jaelle Scheuerman Theresa Schieber Jace Schinderman Ellen Schneidau and Marc Schneidau Helen Schneidau Flo Schornstein and Richard Schornstein Sandra Schwarcz Alexa Schwartz Etheldra Scoggin Kenya Scott Jeri Sebastian Phyllis Segal and Steven Segal Jill Selati and Robin Selati Shirley Seligman Karen Seltzer and Steven Seltzer Martha Sessions and Georges Sessions Barbara Shagrin and Jonathan Shagrin Anne Shahan Maude Sharp Chloe Raub and Dan Shedd Helene Sheena and Ronnie Sheena Linda Sheff Carole Shlipak and Louis Shlipak Mary Clare Siegel Dee Silverthorn and Andrew Silverthorn Cynthia Skaalen Meredith Skowronski Aidan Smith and Patrick Sullivan Carol Smith Lynn Smith and Charles Smith Michael Smith Nancy Smith Martha Lavin and Marc Solomon Pam Spanjer and Byron Spanjer Mary Sparacello and Paul Sparacello Shannon Speir
Natalie Spitzer and Arnold Spitzer Kaitlin Splett Beverly Stacy and David Stacy Elizabeth Stafford Tiffany Stafford and William Stafford Irene Steinberg Judith Steinberg and Sylvan Steinbergh Madeline Stern and Leslie Stern Jane Stewart Hina Stickman and Jon Stickman Carolyn Stifel Elizabeth Stocks Genevieve Stoesz Gail Stricklin and Stephen Nichols Beth Sugarman and Edward Sugarman Meredith Swain Beth Sweet and Donald Sweet Langston Symon and Bob Symon Stephanie Teichner Katherine Tek Chali Temple Lou Ann Terry and Sean Terry Myra Thalheim Joyce Thibodeaux and William Thibodeaux Anita Thies and Richard Thies Gwendolyn Thompkins Mary Thompson and Robert Thompson Judith Thorne Karline Tierney Kathleen Timmins Lyn Tomlinson Alisa Toney and Keith Toney Jessica Troske Lucile Trueblood Cainaz Vakharia and Mike Heaton Amanda Van Veen and Thomas Quinn Daisy VanDenburgh Sherry VanDenburgh and William VanDenburgh Allie Verlander and David Verlanderh Jean Veta and Mary Dutton Germaine Vorhoff and Bob Vorhoff Tracy Muller and Ty Voss Shirley Wall and John Wall Edward Wallerh Laura Wallerh Lucy Walters and John Walters Mildred Ward Joan Watkins Olivia Watkins Fay Wedig Susan Wedlan and Harold Rosen Kathy Weil and Gordon Weil Riki Weinstein and Daniel Morrison Deborah Wells Martha Wells and Max Wells Freddy Welty and Paul Welty Patricia Westerman Elizabeth White Julia White and Walter White Bridget Wicklander and Raymond Wicklander
Nancy Wiener Sandy Wilkinson Sidney Williamson Rebecca Wilson and Kyle Wilson Winnie Wilsonh Carol Wise Judilyn Wise and Michael Wise Julie Wokaty-Kozma and Erik Kozma Laura Wolford Carolyn Wood Shannon Woodward Kay Woolfolk and John Woolfolk Carolyn Woosley Dene Wrenn Hyacinth Young and Robert Young Julie Young Peggy Youngh Valerie Young and Eugene Policastri Monica Younghein and John Younghein Joanie Zaslow and Larry Zaslow Ruth Ziifle Elana Zucker and Brian Zucker
Corporations and Foundations American Endowment Foundation Auch Family Revocable Living Trusth Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, Inc. Alex Berger Foundation Betancourt Stuttering Center Beveridge Family Foundation Dallas Jewish Community Foundation Collins C. Diboll Private Foundation The Dun and Bradstreet Corporate Foundation EB Lakes, LLC Emerson Charitable Trust ExxonMobil Foundation Federal National Mortgage Association Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund Goldman, Sachs and Company Graphica Medica, LLC Greater Kansas City Community Foundation The Greater New Orleans Foundation IBM International Foundation Jewish Endowment Foundation Kahn Education Foundation L. Leydon Services, LLC Metropolitan Life Foundation National Philanthropic Trust Nebenzahl-Spitz Foundation Out of the Box Foundation Pelican Publishing Company, Incorporated The T. Rowe Price Program For Charitable Giving Ross-Merrell Associates Louis T. Roth Foundation, Inc. Schwab Charitable Fund Smithfield Foods, Inc.h U. S. Charitable Gift Trust
To make a gift, visit tulane.edu/giving.
Newcomb College Institute sponsors a variety of events on campus and in cities around the country. Upcoming events include...
HOMECOMING AND PARENTS WEEKEND
Lectures, a luncheon, and Tulane-style tailgating, a weekend of traditions.
November 6-8, 2015
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across
THE NATION Gather with alums in your city as we visit Atlanta, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Houston, Miami and more this year. For a complete list of our regional tour, visit the website.
WOMEN, ART, AND SOCIAL CHANGE:
The Newcomb Pottery Enterprise Sponsored by The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service October 16, 2015January 3, 2016 The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, Jacksonville, FL
An Evening with
ZADIE SMITH This year’s Zale-Kimmerling Writer in Residence
March 1, 2016
WOMEN
Events
January 23-April 17, 2016 Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids, MI
NEWCOMB FILM SERIES Each screening features presentations by outside experts, filmmakers, directors, or faculty with discussions related to the theme of the movie to add to the viewing experience. October 14 - India’s Daughter November 19 - A screening in conjunction with Transgender Day of Remembrance January 26 - No Más Bebés February 18 - Living Thinkers: An Autobiography of Black Women in the Ivory Tower March 6 - American Revolutionary
May 7-July 10, 2016 Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, NJ July 30-October 23, 2016 Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN
Making Waves A day-long symposium focusing on women and work.
March 12, 2016
UNDER the Oaks A ceremony honoring graduating women and the Newcomb College Class of 1966
May 13, 2016 For a complete list of events, visit tulane.edu/newcomb.
Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage
PAID New Orleans, LA Permit No. 358
6823 St. Charles Ave. Tulane University New Orleans, LA 70118
M I G N O N FA G E T
NEWCOMB DESIGNS
Only available through the Newcomb College Institute. Proceeds from sales benefit the activities of the Newcomb Alumnae Association. Jewelry items and prices may be viewed on our website: newcombalumnae.org. To order call 888-327-0009. New Orleans artist and designer Mignon Faget (NC ’55) was commissioned to design this exclusive handcrafted jewelry collection for her alma mater. “The beautiful oak trees that grace the campus and the acorn from which they grow represent growth and stability. These values symbolize the enduring spirit of Newcomb College.”