NEWCOMB NEWS FOR ALUMNAE, STUDENTS, AND PARENTS | FALL 2016
Beyond the
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From the Director Dear Friends,
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“...The Presidential election has guaranteed that the importance of gender for American politics can never be far from our minds...”
nother year has flown by, and I have been doing a lot of flying myself. I was thrilled when UN Women invited me to Cairo to speak at a conference in March advocating for more women judges, my favorite subject. I joined 900 women from 80 countries for the International Association of Women Judges meeting in Washington, D.C. in June and was happy to meet up with my judge friends from Kenya and Tbilisi, Georgia, and three from New Orleans, including the Honorable Joy Lobrano (NC ’83). (The Egyptian Government refused to let its women judges attend.) I zipped over to Destin, Florida to do a three-hour workshop on gender for Louisiana’s women judges and had a delightful lunch on the way with alumnae in Pensacola. We had a fun alumnae event in Paris, with a view of the Eiffel Tower, as my husband and I followed Northern Ireland in the European Soccer Championships. I was the one at the matches reading Soccer for Dummies and singing all the songs. Newcomb secured approval for our study abroad program in Kenya and I led our first group of undergraduates. They took a preparatory course taught by Gwen Thompkins (NC ’85), former East Africa correspondent for National Public Radio. Now I have to get a new passport with more pages. As you can see, Newcomb has a truly global reach. We are settling into our expanded temporary space at 7025 Freret as we finalize the schematic plan of our fabulous new Commons, with a scheduled opening in 2019. Striving to keep Newcomb always at the center of university life, Administrative Professor and Director of Student Leadership and Engagement Jenny Irons and I serve on President Fitts’s Commission on Race and Tulane Values. Our leadership on the issue of sexual assault on campus resulted in a student-organized conference for Louisiana students and in the selection of Kate Harding’s book Asking for It for Tulane’s Reading Project, a program centered on a book that all first-year students read before they arrive on campus in the fall. The Presidential election guarantees that the importance of gender for American politics can never be far from our minds. Our women and politics group is exceptionally active. We hope you will visit us on campus or join us when we come to your town for one of the seventeen Newcomb reading groups this year.
Newcomb College Endowed Chair Professor of Political Science Executive Director, Newcomb College Institute of Tulane University
Inside NEWCOMB Executive Director Sally J. Kenney, Ph.D. Managing Editor Aidan Smith, Ph.D.
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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 Meredith Beers (NC ’07, PHTM ’11, PHTM ’16) Keith Brannon Emily Cardinas (LA ’15, PHTM ’15) Claire Davenport (LA ’18) Hannah Dean (LA ’17) Siena Farrar (LA ’17, PHTM ’17) Erica Fuller (PHTM ’18) Jamie Logan (LA ’17) Betsy Lopez (NC ’08) Diane Perlman Marcus (NC ’66) Chloe Raub (NC ’07) Mary Sparacello Laura Wolford Photography Sally Asher Jessica Bachmann Paula Burch-Celentano Kyle Encar Cheryl Gerber Sabree Hill Tracie Morris Schaefer Rebecca Shinners (LA ’14) 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 Phone: 1-800-504-5565 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.
Cynthia Beaird (NC ’75, G ’84), her sister Debbie Smith (NC ’74) and Newcomb Scholar Madeleine Swanstrom (LA ’18) enjoyed the launch event for the digital journal Women Leading Change: Case Studies in Women, Gender, and Feminism.
Features
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Newcomb Scholars
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Idols Within Reach
In 2009, Newcomb College Institute launched the Newcomb Scholars Program, a selective program that fosters leadership skills with an emphasis on women’s education and the legacy of the historic women’s college.
Noted writers make a connection to the authors of tomorrow through the Zale-Kimmerling Writer-in-Residence Program.
Smoothing the Way Scientist, inventor, teacher. The personal papers of Ruth Rogan Benerito (NC ’35), now housed at the Newcomb Archives, serve as a reminder of the challenges faced by women in the sciences.
Looking Back Alumna Diane Perlman Marcus (NC ’66) reflects on her return to Newcomb for her 50th reunion and what inspired her reconnection with her alma mater.
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
On the cover: Students walk through the Newcomb Gate from the Josephine Louise Residence Hall Quad onto Broadway Street, home to Panhellenic organizations, Tulane Hillel, and other campus affiliates. Newcomb’s students are leaders in our groups like Newcomb Senate and Women In Politics, as well as other student and community organizations. Lamiya Tauhid, left, is the director of WYSE (Women and Youth Supporting Each Other) and vice president of Mortar Board Honor Society. Hannah Swerbenski, center, is president of Alpha Phi Omega, the largest co-ed fraternity in the United States. Annie Thai, right, is at Tulane Scholar, Public Service Fellow, and Pre-Medical Society Undergraduate Representative to the Student Government Association.
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NEWCOMB Connections
A Message from the Newcomb Alumnae Association Dear Fellow Alumnae, Hello! My name is Meredith Beers and it is my honor and privilege to serve as your Newcomb Alumnae Association President. Catherine Edwards was an incredible mentor to me this past year as she finished her last year as President and I learned the ropes. I am so proud of all the NAA Board and Newcomb Alumnae Office staff has accomplished, and the programs we offer to our alumnae.
This spring, with your help, we offered book clubs in 15 cities across the country. We also honored three amazing alumnae whose contributions to their communities and professional fields serve as reminders that we all make an impact through what we do. Additionally, the NAA Board awarded grants totaling $3,000 to students to conduct research in their areas of interest. The young women’s research fields ranged from the hard sciences to the performing arts. Needless to say, everyone on the Board was quite impressed! This fall will bring us more book clubs (please consider attending in your city!) as we discuss Make Your Home Among Strangers by Jennine Capó Crucet; we will celebrate Homecoming and Reunion Weekend October 28-30th (we hope you’ll join us!); and we will prepare to launch a fundraising campaign to endow a Newcomb Scholar (stay tuned for more information on this exciting endeavor in January). Additionally, our Women to Women Mentoring
program participation increases each semester, and we are so pleased with the connections being made between alumnae and undergraduate female students. The Newcomb Town Mom program continues to thrive, as well. The NAA Board has thoughtfully and diligently examined our programs and initiatives with the purpose of ensuring that all of our efforts continue to help us achieve our mission to: strengthen personal, collegiate, and professional connections among our members and honor the legacy of H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College by supporting undergraduate women’s education at the Newcomb College Institute and Tulane University. Recently, I was visiting my parents in my hometown of Houston, Texas, and I attended an event with my father. While mingling at the event, one woman I was chatting with looked at my hand and exclaimed, “Oh! Are you a Newcomb alumna? I am in the
class of 1996!” I beamed, replied, “Yes!” and then glanced at the Newcomb ring on my hand. She and I attended Tulane in different decades, but we had many shared memories: serving on Newcomb Senate, being part of the Daisy Chain, living in JL Hall, eating at Bruff, Newcomb Spring Arts Week, and many more. It is moments like those that thrill me to be a Newcomb alumna: no matter the decade, we share a common thread that binds us all together. If there are ways we can improve our connection with you and the connections between you and fellow alumnae please let us know!
Meredith Beers (NC ’07)
WANT TO GET INVOLVED WITH THE NAA? Learn more about programs and volunteer opportunities at newcombalumnae.org.
50-Year Alumnae Honor Trailblazer Professor of Biology, Former Interim Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at Xavier University, Deidre Dumas Labat (NC ’66) was the first African-American woman admitted to Newcomb College following desegregation in 1963. Professor Labat joined her classmates for reunion festivities over Emeritus Weekend in May.
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Tailgating Traditions
Executive Director Sally J. Kenney, President Mike Fitts, Judy Steinberg (NC ’61), Lisa Rice (NC ’83), and Emily Cardinas (LA ’15, PHTM ’15) didn’t let a little rain stop them from cheering on the Green Wave last year.
This year’s Homecoming and Family Weekend promises to be another outstanding occasion to celebrate the Green Wave as they take on Southern Methodist University on Saturday, October 29. The NAA will be part of the action as always, serving their signature drink on the quad as a warm welcome to returning alums. Other events throughout the weekend include the muchbeloved glass-blowing exhibition and the all-alumnae lunch in the JL Ballroom.
Congressional Fellowship Opportunity Available To Alums
Traveling Newcomb Pottery Exhibit Concludes Last month, alumnae in Nashville gathered at The Frist Center for the final celebration of the national tour of Women, Art, and Social Change: The Newcomb Pottery Enterprise. Guest lecturer Dr. Monica Ramirez-Montagut, Executive Director of the Newcomb Art Museum, spoke to the crowd of alumnae and friends. With 150 objects that span 45 years of production, the exhibition
examines the role that the Newcomb school played in promoting art for the advancement of women and, in turn, New Orleans’ business and cultural communities, which were still struggling from the effects of the Civil War. The exhibition closes permanently on October 23.
Newcomb will be sponsoring another Lindy Boggs (NC ’35) Congressional Fellowship through Women’s Policy, Inc. in Spring 2017. Application and information about the program are available now. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity. Tulane affiliates may submit their applications directly to Anna Mitchell Mahoney of the Newcomb College Institute at amahone4@tulane.edu.
Bethany Van Kampen, a graduate of both the Tulane Law School and the School of Social Work, worked with Sen. Barbara Boxer in Washington, D.C. in 2015 as the senator prepared to retire after almost 25 years in office.
MENTOR SNAPSHOT
Popular Program Connects Students and Alums The Women to Women Mentoring Program pairs an alumna with a current woman student to offer career advice, provide overall guidance, and share real lessons learned. Now entering its third year, over 140 student/alumnae relationships are flourishing. On the precipice of senior year, Siena Farrar reports that her relationship with her mentor has been a smashing success: I’m pretty scared. As I emotionally prepare to leave Tulane and “become an adult” I realize I am not ready for either of those things, and need some guidance. When I saw an opportunity through Newcomb to have a mentor, I remembered my own Newcomb Big in the Big Sis/Little Sis program, and how much she helped me through Tulane. I thought about my own Newcomb Littles, and how much I loved watching them ask for advice and flourish. I signed up immediately. My mentor, Perrin Davis (NC ’90), and I are a perfect match. Perrin edits cookbooks, and I want to write them. When we were Skyping the first time, we hit it off and she offered me so much advice on such a niche career choice. When I was working through a workplace issue, she offered me life advice as well as professional. It is wonderful to have someone to look up to, especially at such a tumultuous time of life. When we spend time raising each other up we all succeed. It is the principle of what Newcomb stands for in action. I look forward, one day, to mentoring a scared Newcomb senior of my own—and telling her there is nothing to worry about.
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Noteworthy at NEWCOMB
Advocacy in Action: Student Activists Convene Conference on Sexual Assault
Study: Women are Healthier, but Losing Financial Ground in N.O. post-Katrina Recovery by Keith Brannon More women hold local elective offices, have college degrees and own their own businesses in postKatrina New Orleans, but many of the city’s economic gains have left women behind, according to a sweeping new Tulane University report on the status of women in the area since the storm. The 74-page report, funded by the Newcomb College Institute, outlines demographic, economic, health, housing, crime and political changes for women using data from local, state and national sources. “What really stood out to me in compiling the report is that the status of women in New Orleans today is both better and worse than prior to Katrina,” said study author Mirya Holman, Assistant Professor of Political Science. “In many ways, women’s lives are better: health outcomes are better, educational attainment is up, more women are running for and winning seats in local politics. At the same time, women’s income has not improved at the rate of men’s income; the gap in income between white men and women has grown since prior to the
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storm; and, while the number of women-owned businesses has gone up in the city, the money earned from those businesses has not.” Other key findings include:
Among full time workers, women’s median income ($36,367) is 79 percent of men’s median income ($45,934). Women are healthier today than preKatrina. Mortality rates have declined and access to health services has increased, except those providing reproductive health care. 49 percent of locally elected offices are now held by women compared to 24 percent in the decade before the storm. The rate of college education among women had increased significantly since Katrina, from 23 percent of women with a college education or above in 2005 to 32 percent in 2014. While women-owned businesses grew from 28 percent of businesses pre-Katrina to 37 percent in 2012, the share of sales, receipts and values of shipments has declined. Before Katrina, female-owned firms accounted for 4.4 percent of all sales, receipts and shipments from New Orleans based firms. By 2012, that rate fell to 3 percent of all sales. The full report is available at tulane.edu/newcomb.
Over 100 activists from around the nation gathered in February to tackle one of the most pressing problems on campuses: sexual assault. Organized by undergraduates Nina Baumgartner and Hannah Novak with support from Newcomb College Institute, the interdisciplinary conference featured panel discussions and strategy sessions that covered everything from prevention to victim recovery and self-care to techniques to mobilize for action. “It’s about opening up the conversation and having a dialogue within those different approaches,” said Novak, a sophomore public health major. The first of its kind in the state, organizers had an overwhelmingly positive response. “People are really passionate about this topic. We reached out to all of the colleges and universities, and even some high school administrators as well,” said Novak. “They’re going through a lot of similar experiences.” Baumgartner, a senior studying neuroscience and gender and sexuality studies, agreed.
“That’s why we wanted to have community activists and military victims advocates.” Faculty and administrators from across campus lent their voices as well, providing information about the resources available to the Tulane community, as well as their support to the student activists. The issue is having a particularly prominent moment in the national conversation, from President Obama’s It’s On Us campaign to Lady Gaga’s Oscar-nominated song “Til it Happens to You”, featured in the 2015 documentary The Hunting Ground, which deals with campus rape in the United States. Novak notes that anything that can start the conversation is important, “Sexual assault is very hard for people to discuss, and it can put you in a vulnerable position, so anything that makes that easier is a good thing.” But talking about it is not enough and action is required, says Baumgartner. “It’s doing some of the work, and we have to come at it from a lot of different angles. Pop culture isn’t going to solve this problem alone.”
Bringing Women to the Center of #blacklivesmatter by Claire Davenport (LA ’18)
Summer Well Spent: A Head Start on the Real World
“Social discourse focuses solely on the vulnerability of black boys and misses social outcomes for black girls,” argued Brittney Cooper, Assistant Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies and Africana Studies at Rutgers University and expert on the institutional racism and sexism faced by black women in their daily lives. Cooper drew on multiple stories of women and girls being harassed, assaulted or killed by the police. These stories about atrocities of racial violence that
Cooper told the audience have gone largely unnoticed by the general population. She discussed Rachel Jeantel, a young woman who testified during the Trayvon Martin case, saying she was ridiculed for her appearance and speech impediment. “The widespread mockery of this girl … for her size and skin color, are examples of ways people hold black women to a classist set of social standards in a public situation. We did not pay attention to other factors … her existence and her pain.”
Cooper encouraged Tulane students to engage and begin to understand the ways in which black women may be victimized by the general population. She urged listeners to take part in the movement called #sayhername, a play on the title of the Destiny’s Child song, “Say My Name,” hoping they will remember to not let the names of black, female victims fade into ignominy, but motivate the community to fight even harder against racist institutions.
Research shows that internships provide students with a valuable network of job skills and professional contacts. Internships are an investment in the student’s future; however, this investment can often be cost prohibitive for all students to say “yes” to a dream internship. This year, NCI provided funding to almost thirty undergraduate students to offset the cost of their summer internships. Students worked in a range of fields, from finance to health care, grassroots prison reform to legislative research. To learn about the internships students are doing or to engage your organization with the program, contact Betsy Lopez (NC ’08) at elopez@tulane.edu. Read more about one intern’s experiences on page 9.
Luminaria bags glowed on the Lavin-Bernick Center Quad during a candlelight vigil to commemorate Transgender Day of Remembrance in November. Sam Bruner (NC ’10), an archivist with the Newcomb College Institute, lit a luminaria before the vigil begins. The vigil, which honored trans and gender-nonconforming people who lost their lives to violence and suicide in 2015, was part of the national Transgender Awareness Week. Newcomb College Institute co-sponsors events in support of this week with the Office for Gender & Sexual Diversity.
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NEWCOMB WOMEN LEADERS ON CAMPUS In 2009, Newcomb College Institute launched the Newcomb Scholars leadership skills with an emphasis on women’s education and the inception, the program’s alumnae have found success in graduate
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Top: Newcomb Scholars, Class of 2019 Bottom: Briah Fischer (PHTM ’13)
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his fall, hundreds of new undergraduate women descended upon Tulane’s uptown campus, each seeking to find her place in the world of higher education. Many of those students seeking a supportive environment gravitate toward the Newcomb College Institute. Those committed to independent scholarship and a unique opportunity to be part of a selective cohort of women seek a place in the Newcomb Scholars. Newcomb College Institute selects twenty students each year from a variety of majors as Newcomb Scholars. The students take one interdisciplinary course together each year cultivating their leadership skills and developing their intellectual capacities. Taught by NCI’s faculty, the curriculum centers women’s experiences at its core. The first year seminar, The History and Philosophy of Women in Higher Education, puts students in the Newcomb Archives and tasks them with interviewing an alumna to reflect upon her experiences at the College, while courses on epistemology and women’s leadership require an interdisciplinary consideration of gender and politics. Her senior year, each scholar pursues her own research project in her own field of study. Demand for a slot in the program is high: this year, over one hundred women applied, from among almost one thousand enrolled freshman women. In addition to building a community of like-minded women, what the students have dubbed as “Scholardarity,” the program helps students develop their research portfolios through close collaboration with faculty by funding lab and field investigations as well as individual projects. Scholars also have access to internship funding that can take their academic pursuits beyond the classroom to the real world. Sophomore Meg Maurer, a triple major in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Anthropology, and Spanish, spent her summer working with the Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe to apply for federal acknowledgment, a process that requires the presentation of an incredible wealth of information to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Using interdisciplinary research skills honed in the program, Maurer quickly got to work. “After spending time in various archives and in the Pointe-au-Chien Tribal Building, I learned how to access primary research materials and think critically about how to use them for my project, how to create working databases to organize my work, and how to present my work to the community this project is serving. I gained valuable perspective on intra- and inter-tribal relationships, a new appreciation for the vulnerable land along Louisiana’s Gulf Coast, and the struggles faced by the people who live there.”
SCHOLARS AND IN THE WORLD Program, a selective program that fosters legacy of the historic women’s college. Since its school, the professions, and public service. Alumnae from the program, which graduated its first class in 2013, credit their experiences with Newcomb for their success post-graduation. Briah Fischer (PHTM ’13) credits her time in the program with helping her secure a place among this year’s entering students at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine. “Newcomb Scholars provided me a cohort of intelligent, ambitious women with which to experience my undergraduate years at Tulane. Beyond navigating the research process together, we acted as a support system for one another; to this day, some of my closest friends and mentors are my fellow Newcomb Scholars. Without a doubt, my time as a Newcomb Scholar played an integral role in shaping me into the inquisitive, confident medical student and woman I am today.” Alumnae have been overwhelmingly supportive of the program, from financial support to offers of mentorship. The Newcomb Alumnae Association led a fundraising initiative in 2015, raffling an original piece of art professor Gene Koss’ blown glass to generate funds to support the Scholars. To learn more about their latest efforts, see page 8.
A Perfect Match Alumna and Scholar connect over shared interests and a passion for international development
Being a Newcomb Scholar afforded me the opportunity to meet and form relationships with distinguished Newcomb alumnae. In November of last I year, M ary Myrick Langlois andlar based on our status were matched as mentor-scho members and our as Chi Omega - Rho Chapter health and development, shared interest in international nutes of meeting, specifically in Africa. Within mito get along great; it was obvious we were going following months and however over the course of the New Orleans food our meetings over heaping plates ofsincere friendship. We’ve connection deepened to one of rite books, our best gabbed about everything - our favoM ary is an impeccable college memories, our love lives. nt, poised, gracious, woman - driven, witty, intellige to have her in my and insightful. I feel so fortunatede as I navigate postlife as a friend, mentor, and gui a graduate student at grad life and begin my career as Tulane’s Public Health School. (PHTM ’16) MADELEINE NICHOLSON th & Development l Hea MPH Candidate, International
stated that her Josephine Louise Newcomb H. Sophie the ng owi end reasoning behind was that Newcomb Memorial College lt into some bui Sophie’s short life should be on year by go uld sho t work of the spirit, tha intangible this it, spir is Th year doing good. as it did during entity endures today as surely is history. It strong and elastic. the early years of Newcomb’s 8 and as a current member in 195 As a graduate of Newcomb uncil of the Newcomb College Co ry viso Ad s or’ rect Di of the e ed that many of the values (th Institute, I have been impress ortance of scholarship and imp works of the spirit) remain: the the modern woman. This of life for n atio par pre the intelligent wcomb Scholars program. Ne I’S NC in ed odi emb is spirit to promote leadership and the The requirements are designed to many positives aspects Due value of women in academia. nsor one of the scholars. spo to ided dec I m, of the progra an international with jor She is a public health ma deleine epitomizes the development minor. To me, Ma llectually curious. Her e is inte ideal Newcomb Scholar. Sh her to lead, serve, and develop bles ena n atio par academic pre deleine has added a very her full potential. Knowing Ma positive component to my life. is (NC ’58) Mary Holt Myrick LnaeanAffgloairs and Former Director of Alum llege Centennial Celebration Director of the Newcomb Co
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Real Research with Real Results Scholars Case Studies Available Online
Alexa Schwartz, Newcomb Scholar Class of 2013 and member of the NAA Board of Directors, presents her case study on the evolution of Newcomb College.
Several years in the making, this spring Newcomb College Institute launched the second of its online scholarly journals Women Leading Change: Case Studies on Women, Gender, and Feminism. Newcomb Scholars research and write the articles during their third year seminar in the Scholars program. Co-taught by political scientists Sally J. Kenney and Anna Mitchell Mahoney, the course analyzes different explanations for why so few leaders are women and how to change that. Case studies are used to examine the intricacies of organizations, the roles of women in various organizations, as well as the impact of organizations on policy (public, social, scientific, educational), government, and leadership in a global world. “While women have made important strides toward gender equality, there is still work to be done. This course offers students a chance to analyze how gender shapes opportunities for women
in politics, health, education, and business. By better understanding these processes, we can help move the needle,” said Mitchell Mahoney. With a focus on critical thinking and problem solving through immersion in the stories of women leaders, the class is discussion-based and participatory rather than a lecture course. As a culminating project, each student produces her own case study linked to their field of study. “With real life cases, students can place themselves in the roles of different characters, asking ‘What would I do if I were in this person’s shoes?’ The answer is not always clear. We learn a lot from the discussion by hearing how other students saw the dilemma,” said Mitchell Mahoney. The students’ work is available online at tulane.edu/newcomb under Publications.
SUPPORT A SCHOLAR The Newcomb Alumnae Association recently launched an initiative to endow a Newcomb Scholar in honor of the 27,000 alumnae of the historic college. Many generous alumnae and friends have supported this program and the NAA recognizes the importance of investing in today’s undergraduate women. With a gift of $100,000, a Scholar will be named in honor of the NAA. To contribute to this initiative, contact the Newcomb Alumnae Office at 1-800-504-5565.
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Newcomb Scholars develop tight knit relationships with each other through shared academic and social experiences. From yoga study breaks, organized by the Wellness Committee, to movie nights and career panels, students enjoy the camaraderie the program provides.
Erica Fuller (PHTM ’18) knew she wanted to learn in a clinical setting. Thanks to funding from Newcomb College Institute through the Jo R. Brown Internship Fund, she was able to spend the summer in a central American women’s hospital working with patients.
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n Guatemala, doctors make decisions about women’s healthcare without consulting the women or putting their interests first, especially during pregnancy. This mainly impacts the poorer population who give birth in the national hospitals, which are understaffed and underfunded. I have heard many stories of terrified pregnant women, isolated from their families in hospitals who were told for various reasons that they needed a cesarean section, though these reasons may not necessarily be true. I interned this summer at Manos Abiertas, a women’s clinic located in Ciudad Vieja, Guatemala. The clinic seeks to empower these pregnant women and educate them on their bodies and their health options. Education starts with simple things like discussing the importance of nutrition and hydration during pregnancy and giving mothers the option to have a safe, natural birth in the clinic. Manos Abiertas creates a comfortable environment in which mothers can breastfeed their babies almost directly after birth and the mother’s family support system can remain in the room with her. Not only does Manos Abiertas give patients health information and the right to decide about their healthcare, it offers a safe environment in which women can obtain family planning services in a nation where contraception is stigmatized and hard to obtain. All the services Manos Abiertas provides are
based on a tiered system according to what the mother can afford, ensuring quality healthcare is not just something for the rich. Working at the clinic, I have had the opportunity to learn many skills related to pregnancy and gynecology, like taking blood pressure, and measuring weight and fetal heart rate. I have also learned how to assist in births, educate women about their bodies, and tackle the challenges of running a non-profit in a
“I have learned how to assist in births, educate women about their bodies, and tackle the challenges of running a non-profit in a foreign country.”
foreign country. This internship also allowed me to utilize my public health training to design a project to improve the clinic. Each intern had the opportunity to pursue their interests and leave a lasting impact. I have started a fundraising campaign and am developing an information sheet on the associations of Zika virus with microcephaly. Fellow interns are writing grants, performing research to evaluate the clinic, and starting marketing campaigns to reach out to more women. Manos Abiertas and its staff have inspired me to speak up for education and women’s rights in healthcare and demand respect for every patient.
Student Voices, Student Action
STRENGTHENING SKILLS THROUGH SERVICE
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IDOLS WITHIN
Noted writers make a connection to the authors Zale-Kimmerling Writer-in-Residence Program With contributions from Emily Cardinas (LA ’15, PHTM ’15), Jamie Logan (LA ’17), Aidan Smith, Mary Sparacello, and Laura Wolford
Thanks to support from Tulane University’s book store staff, Zadie Smith signed copies of her books at this year’s reading. Over 600 people attended the standing-room-only event. Since 2006, the program has been generously supported by Barnes & Noble College Booksellers.
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REACH
of tomorrow through the
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very year since 1985, the Zale-Kimmerling Writer-in-Residence Program has brought a renowned woman writer to campus to spend a week among readers and student writers eager for insight about the author and the writing process. Over the past thirty years, the program has expanded to a comprehensive schedule of events, writing workshops, and seminars that connect today’s students with icons of the written word. Recent writers-in-residence include Valerie Martin, Danielle Evans, and Lorrie Moore, while previous participants were acclaimed authors like Ann Patchett, Dorothy Allison, and Octavia Butler. The program was established by Dana Zale Gerard (NC ’85), and made possible by an annual gift from the M.B. and Edna Zale Foundation of Dallas, Texas. Since 2006, the program has been generously supported by Barnes & Noble College Booksellers. In 2010, the program became fully endowed through a gift from Martha Kimmerling Wells (NC ’63). This year, acclaimed author Zadie Smith wove a tale of sacrifice and survival as she stood before an enraptured audience in Kendall Cram Lecture Hall on the Tulane University uptown campus in March. Smith shared her most recent short story with the over six hundred students, faculty and community members that jammed into the crowded auditorium for a chance to see the award-winning writer in person. In a discussion with Karen Zumhagen-Yekplé, Assistant Professor of English, Smith described the progression of her work. She explained that humor once helped her write about difficult topics, but her focus has shifted with time. “As you get older, life gets a lot less funny,” Smith said. Nonetheless, noted, Smith, she finds beauty in everyday scenes. “I get a lot out of the world,” she added. From New York to West Africa, she is inspired by the places she has seen. “The local can be global,” she said, noting that she has found traces of her English hometown across America. “It’s everywhere,” she said. While on campus, Smith also conducted a question-and-answer session with Professor Peter Cooley’s creative writing students. Smith has authored six books. Her first novel, White Teeth, a portrait of London told through three ethnically diverse families, won the Guardian First Book Award, the Whitbread First Novel Award, the Commonwealth Writers Prize, and two BT Ethnic and Multicultural Media Awards. Her later publications, including The Autograph Man, On Beauty, NW, and Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays, also received much praise. She is also a professor at New York University. Her latest book, Swing Time, will be available in November. This year’s author will be Meg Wolitzer, scheduled to spend a week on campus in March. Her public reading will be March 6, 2017. Students and faculty are excited for her visit. Sophomore Emma Weisner enthused about her work, “Meg Wolitzer’s fiction explores essential questions with a unique and moving voice. What does it mean to be a woman? How do I contain to grow and change while maintaining my sense of self ?” Meg Wolitzer’s novels include The Interestings; The Uncoupling; The Ten-Year Nap; The Position; and The Wife. She is also the author of a novel for middle-grade readers, The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman, and a novel for young adults, Belzhar. Wolitzer’s short fiction has appeared in The Best American Short Stories and The Pushcart Prize.
Above, top: Zadie Smith; Above, bottom: Aimee Bender spoke on campus in January 2013 as the Zale-Kimmerling Writer-in-Residence, reading from her book, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake.
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MORE THAN FICTION
Symposium Demonstrates the Importance of Memoir In 2014, four of the country’s most distinguished practitioners of biography, literary criticism, and memoir gathered for a day long symposium comprised of individual readings and a panel discussion as part of Thinking on the Page: Women in Biography and Memoir. The event was made possible
through the support of the Zale-Kimmerling Program. The panelists spanned a wide spectrum of public lives. Patricia Bosworth, a contributing editor at Vanity Fair for over two decades, is an award-winning journalist and best-selling biographer and memoirist. Her most recent book is Jane Fonda: The
Private Life of a Public Woman. Vivian Gornick is the author of the acclaimed memoir Fierce Attachments, and her most recent book is Emma Goldman: Revolution as a Way of Life. Wendy Lesser, the founding and current editor of The Threepenny Review, is the author of one novel and nine nonfiction books, most recently
Why I Read: The Serious Pleasure of Books. Brenda Wineapple’s newest book, Ecstatic Nation: Confidence, Crisis, and Compromise, 18481877, combines political and cultural history to tell the complex story of how America faced the crime of slavery—and redefined the meaning of itself as one nation. Associate Professor of English Thomas Beller, himself a biographer of the acclaimed J.D. Salinger: The Escape Artist, organized the program. He notes that readers are drawn to stories about historical figures, but there is often more at play than just a recounting of famous lives. “In the case of each writer the drama of their work is partly in the story they are telling, but also in the process by which they have come to understand that story, a process that to some degree involves the evolution of the author herself.”
BOOK CLUBS IN BLOOM
Alumnae in Denver connected at the home of Jennifer Kemp Cruseturner (NC ’04) to discuss Cokie Robert’s book Capitol Dames: The Civil War and the Women of Washington, 1848-1868. The book club program is generously supported by Barnes and Noble Booksellers.
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Spring 2016 marked the fifth anniversary of the Newcomb Book Clubs. Alumnae from the classes of 1944 through 2015 attended various gatherings to discuss Zale-Kimmerling author Zadie Smith’s novel, On Beauty. Fifteen book clubs were held from coast to coast this spring. The Fall 2016 selection, Make Your Home Among Strangers by Jennine Capó Crucet, tells the story of Lizet, a first-generation college student born to Cuban immigrants and ready to leave Miami. Lizet must navigate the peaks and valleys of her
freshman year in addition to the struggles she faces at home. Dallas hostess Dana Zale Gerard (NC ’85) notes that the events are always rewarding. “I love hosting with my friend and fellow alum Laurie Finger Berger (NC ’88). The book club has been a wonderful bridge, connecting multiple generations of fascinating Newcomb and Tulane graduates. We actually get to know each other and share our stories about Tulane while enjoying a casual dinner and an always lively book discussion.” For more information contact newcombalumnae@tulane.edu.
STRENGTHENING FACULTY CONNECTIONS New Professor Places Women’s Life Writing at the Center of Her Research
FACULTY HIRE BRINGS EXPANSION OF PROGRAM
By Mary Sparacello English department faculty member Kate Adams fell in love with New Orleans in fall 2012 when she was in the city on a research grant. She loves the city’s music, culture and literary legacy. But Adams, who fondly remembers the time she spent at the Louisiana Research Collection and the Amistad Research Center at Tulane University, also fell in love with the city because of its abundance of research material. “It’s a really wonderful place for the research I’m doing,” says Adams, a specialist in 19th century U.S. literature and culture who focuses on writing by women and African Americans. Adams joined Tulane last year as an associate professor of English. She was invested as
the inaugural holder of the Martha McCarty Kimmerling (NC ’63) Chair in Women’s Literature. Martha McCarty Wells established the Kimmerling chair to advance scholarship and teaching at the School of Liberal Arts. “Women writers have always been at the core of what I care about,” Adams says. “Women’s literature always shapes the questions that I’m researching.” Before her current position, Adams was an associate professor at the University of South Carolina where she was also the graduate director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Department. Adams’s 2009 book, Owning Up: Privacy, Property and Belonging in U.S. Women’s Life Writing was met with
critical acclaim, and she is currently working on a monograph tracing how conceptions of racial blackness changed in conjunction with the post-emancipation cotton economy. She is also co-editing a special journal issue of Legacy: A Journal of American Women Writers focusing on New Orleans poet and writer Alice Dunbar-Nelson, whom Adams calls “incredibly important but overlooked.” Dunbar-Nelson grew up in New Orleans in the late 19th century, and Adams says there’s a trove of information on her life and works yet to be fully explored. The special issue will be available this December. “It’s exciting to be here to use Tulane’s resources to help tell her story,” says Adams.
Kate Adams, left, smiles during the ceremony investing her as the inaugural holder of the Martha McCarty Kimmerling ’63 Chair in Women’s Literature. Joining her are Michael Kuczynski, center, Department of English chair and professor, and Sally J. Kenney, right, executive director, Newcomb College Institute.
Administrative Assistant Professor of Women’s Literature Molly Pulda will join Newcomb in January 2017. She is currently developing a summer institute on women’s literature for high school students and will teach literature courses in the English department. She also hopes to foster a community of readers on campus. Pulda has a Ph.D. in English, with a certificate in women’s studies, from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and a B.A. in English from Columbia University. She has most recently taught at Barnard College. Her research focuses on contemporary memoir, with a focus on women authors. She brings professional experience in book publishing and nonprofit arts administration with her, and has extensive experience writing reading group guides for the publishers Simon & Schuster and Bloomsbury USA. More information on the upcoming program on women’s literature for high school students will be available in the spring, with a goal to launch in 2017. Planned sessions will focus on women authors, literary analysis, creative writing, and literary field-trips in New Orleans.
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NEWCOMB NEWCOMB FALL FALL 2016 2016
Smoothing theWay
for Women to Follow
by Cara Becker (LA ’15) and Chloe Raub (NC ’07), Head of Newcomb Archives and Special Collections
Scientist, inventor, teacher. The personal papers of Ruth Rogan Benerito (NC ’35), now housed at the Newcomb Archives, serve as a reminder of the challenges faced by women in the sciences, and the legacy of Newcomb College’s groundbreaking work to equalize technical fields.
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ewcomb College was home to some of the most influential women scientists of the South. While most largely known as a women’s college that fostered an unprecedented artistic ceramic tradition, Newcomb provided opportunities for women to expand beyond the confines of the liberal arts. The Department of Science encouraged not only innovation in the hard sciences, but innovation in those fields by women. Recently, the Newcomb Archives received a donation of archival records reflecting one of Newcomb’s greatest examples of women’s achievement in the sciences: the Ruth Benerito papers. Ruth Rogan Benerito enrolled at Newcomb College at the age of 15, graduating with a B.A. in Chemistry in 1935 and almost immediately after earning her M.S. from Tulane University in the same field. Benerito later received her doctorate from the University of Chicago, also in chemistry. Her success was fueled by the camaraderie and encouragement of Newcomb College. She was mentored in the lab by Newcomb alumna Dr. Rose Mooney (NC ’26) and later by Clara de Milt (NC ’11), another alumna and then head of the Department of Chemistry, who later hired Benerito to teach at Newcomb and to build up the Department’s collaborative research efforts. Benerito worked as a professor of physical chemistry at Newcomb for ten years, simultaneously earning her doctorate over summer breaks and leaves of absence. She rose within the department and upon de Milt’s death in 1953 was offered the position of head of the Department of Chemistry. Benerito declined the promotion, choosing to seek innovation beyond the walls of academia. Her success as an academic was enough to make her stand out, considering the scarcity of women educated in the sciences in the first half of the twentieth century. However, it was her entrance into the world of textile sciences that made her name widely known. Benerito started working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Southern Regional Research Laboratory in 1953, where she began experimenting with cotton fabric. It was there that her most widely recognized contribution to the field of chemistry took place: her research on cross-linking in cotton molecules was one of the prime chemical revelations that led to the invention of permanent press (or wrinkle-free) fabric, as well as stain and flame resistant cotton fabrics. While many collaborated on this effort, as Benerito herself often admitted, it truly was Benerito’s research that made the discovery possible. As noted by The New York Times, she said that wrinkle-free cotton was the result of teamwork.“I don’t like it to be said that I invented wash-wear, because there were any number of people working on it, and there are various processes by which you give cotton those properties,” she said. “No one person discovered it or was responsible for it. But I contributed to new processes of doing it.” Her achievements skyrocketed as her career in chemistry continued, gaining her over fifty patents and an array of prestigious awards, including the Lemelson-MIT Award for Invention and Innovation, as well as induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2008. Benerito remained with the U.S.D.A. until retiring in 1986, after which she joined the faculty of the University of New Orleans and continued teaching until the age of 81. Even as her career grew, her life remained in New Orleans, always connected to the innovation that a Newcomb education inspired. Benerito passed away in 2013 at the age of 97. Her nephew, William Rogan, donated records of her lectures, manuscripts, patent files, honors, and awards, with the hope that researchers might find a complete record of Benerito’s accomplishments at a single repository. Archival staff are now working to process the collection, approximately seven linear feet of records. A complete finding aid to the collection will be available to researchers later this fall, accessible online at archives.tulane.edu.
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Looking
Back
Alumna Diane Perlman Marcus (NC ’66) reflects on her return to Newcomb for her 50th reunion and what inspired her reconnection with her alma mater.
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started attending the Washington DC Newcomb Book Club meetings in 2012; at that time I met and became friendly with Carter Flemming (NC ’70) who has been very active on Newcomb and Tulane Boards since her graduation. Carter told me that the 50 Year Reunions are awesome. “We honor our women in May at Under the Oaks Ceremony. It is a wonderful event, and I really urge you to get as many to come back as you can. They will not regret it.“ Due to Carter’s words, I started planning to attend the reunion a year ahead of time. About fifty alums from Newcomb Class of 1966 attended our reunion May 12-14, 2016. Indeed, it was an awesome event! I reconnected with an impressive, exceptional, talented, highly intelligent, and successful group of women who had fond, fond memories of our years at Newcomb. How easy it was to talk to women I had not seen in 50 years. We laughed at memories of exams that were aced and exams that we almost failed. During the weekend, I came to realize how valuable the Newcomb experience is; it has been influencing us over the past 50 years. Thursday night, Newcomb and Tulane 50 year alumni as well as other alumni celebrating more than 50 years since graduation were honored at cocktails and dinner at The Audubon Tea Room in Audubon Park. We were inducted into the Emeritus Club of the Tulane University Alumni Association and given a beautiful commemorative diploma. Peter Goldman (A&S ’66) and Richard K. Schmidt (E ’66) received the Emeritus Class Lifetime Achievement Awards. Friday morning a delicious buffet breakfast was served in a conference room at the “U.C.” which is now named the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life. Two one hour informative lectures were given. Professor Jana Lipman spoke on the current situation in Cuba. Professor Brian Brox analyzed the 2016 election and told us what results would be if the election were held that day. These outstanding professors reminded me of the fact that all teachers and professors during my four years at Newcomb were excellent. At noon on Friday some of the 1966 class went to Yulman Stadium for lunch and a tour. Other 1966 Newcomb alums had lunch in the reception hall/living room at Josephine Louise Residence Hall where most of us lived freshman year. I was able to visit my dorm room; it was just as it had been 50 years ago with the same sink attached to the wall near the window. At The Under the Oaks Ceremony Friday afternoon, the Class of 1966 graduated again in caps and gowns at Dixon Hall’s Auditorium, the same auditorium where we graduated in 1966. Marching down the aisle in alphabetical order to our seats was very memorable and moving. Classmate Deidre Dumas Labat, Ph.D. (she and I had science classes and labs together) sat on the stage along with other former and current graduates order to receive special recognition and awards. On Saturday morning, we attended the Tulane University Unified Commencement at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. We sat with parents and other alumni in a special section. Hoda Kotb of NBC News and co-host of the fourth hour of The Today Show delivered a heart-warming and fascinating commencement speech. The two-hour event was quite a party and ended with fireworks. Do not miss your Newcomb 50 Year Reunion! It will be a thrill to visit the Tulane campus, to be wined and dined by Tulane, to reconnect with your classmates, and to be reminded of how integral Tulane is with the city of New Orleans. Do not forget to take a ride on the St. Charles Streetcar from Tulane campus to Canal Street; a senior fare is only $ 0.40.
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WinningWOMEN
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his year’s award recipients’ accomplishments bring honor to both their alma mater and their fellow alumnae. Newcomb’s awards were presented at this year’s Under the Oaks Ceremony in May, and the Tulane Alumni Awards were presented at a gala at the World War II Museum in April. Visit newcombalumnae.org to learn about the nomination process.
Each year, the Newcomb Alumnae Association recognizes exceptional members whose professional or volunteer achievements have brought honor to the legacy of Newcomb College.
Mara Karlin (NC ’01) Young Alumna of 2016 She was appointed as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Secretary of Defense’s Strategy & Force Development office in January 2015, after having been appointed Principal Director for the Office in May 2014 and appointed as Principal Director for the Strategy Office since November 2012. Her office leads a wide range of efforts that guide Defense Department analysis and review including: formulating the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review, assessing future national security challenges and risk management, developing long-term competitive strategies and force planning scenarios, coordinating global and internal policy planning, and evolving alliances/partnerships. She holds a Ph.D. in International Affairs from Johns Hopkins University. Roberta Atkinson Guillory (NC ’59) Community Service Award She is known in her community for her passion and drive to create a place for women to explore together the many ways that spirituality leads to wholeness, health and fullness of life. Her path began at Newcomb College, and she went on to receive her master in social work from Louisiana State University, in 1992 she founded the Red Shoes, an organization in Baton Rouge, Louisiana that now serves thousands of people each year, providing a space for healing and exchange of ideas. Jennifer Brush (NC ’78) Outstanding Alumna Retired organization for security and cooperation Ambassador Brush has had a long and distinguished career in the U.S. State Department and with international organizations. Since the fall of the Soviet Union and the breakup of Yugoslavia, Ambassador Brush has become an international expert on negotiation and conflict resolution. She served as Director of the State Department Balkans department 2010-2012 and then as Ambassador to Moldova. After retiring from the State Department in 2014, ambassador Brush served as Deputy Senior Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations with the UN mission in Kosovo.
The Tulane Alumni Association has created awards to recognize alumni for their hard work and dedication to the University and their communities.
TERRY A. O’NEILL (L ’80) Professional Achievement Award Terry O’Neill is an attorney, former Tulane professor and crusader for social justice. She has been the President of the National Organization for Women since 2009. O’Neill got her start in political organizing as a volunteer with the Stop David Duke campaign and has worked with former Sen. Hillary Clinton, former Sen. Mary Landrieu and President Barack Obama. JOHANNA M. GILLIGAN (NC ’03) Scott Cowen Service Award Johanna Gilligan is the founder and Executive Director of Grow Dat Youth Farm – an urban farm in New Orleans that nurtures diverse young leaders through the meaningful work of growing food. Gilligan’s work in food education has been celebrated throughout New Orleans and was profiled in the HBO documentary series “Weight of the Nation.” MEREDITH A. BEERS (NC ’07, PHTM ’11, PHTM ’16) Robert V. Tessaro Young Alumni Volunteer Award Meredith Beers is owner of Meredith Beers Consulting LLC, a disaster management and work health and safety company. She is President of the Newcomb Alumnae Association and member of the TAA Board of Directors. In 2016, Meredith received her doctorate from Tulane School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine. She was formerly a Women’s Research & Education Institute (WREI) Congressional Policy Fellow in the office of Senator Frank R. Lautenberg, Smithsonian National Zoo Emergency Preparedness Intern, and worked for FTI Consulting. Her Newcomb and Tulane volunteer service also includes participating in the Young Alumni Development Task Force, Career Wave Panelist, 5 year Reunion Chair, and Newcomb-Tulane College Representative.
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FROM THE CLASSROOM
TO KENYA
Newcomb Brings Women’s Leadership Training to Girls in Nairobi
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ith its mission to educate undergraduate women for leadership in the 21st century, faculty, and staff at Newcomb College Institute are well aware of gender-based challenges facing women today. Through its latest servicelearning initiative, the Institute seeks to connect students with an interest in women’s leadership with girls in Kenya, where HIV/AIDS has left approximately one million orphans. In 2015, Executive Director Sally J. Kenney and Assistant Director for Student Leadership and Engagement Malliron Hodge traveled to the African nation to teach sessions on gender and leadership to teens at Ngong Road Children’s Association Camp. The camp, organized during the summer school holiday, provides education and support for Nairobi children living in poverty whose families are affected by HIV/AIDS. While there, the two laid the groundwork for a study abroad service-learning opportunity that would connect Tulane students interested in gender equality with hundreds of young girls eager to learn more. Building on this foundation, this summer Kenney and Professor of International Development Izabela Steflja returned with several undergraduates to continue their work. As a prerequisite, each student learned about their host country and developed an individual project in the course, “Women and Social Development in Kenya,” taught by Gwen Thompkins (NC ’87), the former East Africa bureau chief for National Public Radio. Dr. Steflja will teach the course in 2017, with an expanded emphasis on all of East Africa. A scholar of comparative politics and international development, she has done fieldwork in Rwanda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, and South Africa. “Working with these children as I have over the last three years has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. The enthusiasm and joy they bring to life and learning is infectious,” said Kenney.
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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 2015-2016 fiscal year. Thank you for your support. The Newcomb monies benefit today’s undergraduate women, just as they benefited alumnae who attended Newcomb College. Funds functioning as endowment support the Newcomb College Institute. That amount is now valued at approximately $42 million and generates almost $2 million for our programs each year. The Newcomb Foundation Board ensures that the Newcomb College Institute spends that money wisely. Named endowments support a variety of other activities, including lecture series, research grants, and the Newcomb Archives.
Donor Honor Roll Evangeline Abriel and William Abriel Haley Ade Marianne Aiken Amanda Albin and Keith Murphy Ann Alden Vanann Allen Jane Allsopp Mildred Amer Nell Amos and Henry Amos Kathryn Anderson and Larry Anderson Bethlehem Andrews Donna Angel Elsa Angrist Nicole Anliker Anonymous Donors Linda Argote and Dennis Epple Katsuko Arimura Lory Arnold and Jacob Bryan Lisa Askowitz and Anthony Askowitz Teresa Auch and Michael Auch Kimberly Austin Barbara Aycock and Ellis Aycock Heather Baird Beryl Ball and John Ball Mary Bancroft and Stephen Bancroft Gail Barcelo and Brian Barcelo Jennie Barker Sarah Basinger and Clint Basinger Nina Baumgartner Meredith Beers Susan Bell and Douglas Bell Lucy Elba Bell Ashley Belleau and Michael Kiernan Elizabeth Berger Mary Ann Bernard Cyrus Bharucha Lavinia Bircher and Edgar Bircher Sue Blackshear Julia Bland and Wilton Bland Elise Bodenheimer Christine Bordelon and Bryan Bordelon Claudia Borman Bonnie Bourg* Sharon Bourgeois and St. Paul Bourgeois Eleanore Boyse and Matthew Boyse Jennifer Brachfeld and Michael Brachfeld Alethea Bragg Carole Bratter Margaret Breen and Charles Crutchfield Linda Breggin Barbara Bridges Deborah Britt and Corbett Britt Margaret Brittle and Edward Brittle Mary Brogden Carol Brooks Helen Brooks and R. Brooks Shervondalonn Brown
Katherine Brucker Samantha Bruner and Oliver Stover Mary Bryan Barbara Burgess Barbara Burk and Bernard Burk Jessica Burt Denise Butler Kimberly Campbell and Edward Campbell Emily Cardinas and Edy Delgado Elizabeth Carmody Jaimee Carreras and Jeffrey Carreras Heather Cartier and Geoffrey Cartier Susan Cator and David Cator Jane Cease Mariya Chadovich Aisha Champagne Bonnie Chapman and William Chapman Sabina Chapman-Altman and James Altman Julia Chen Deanna Chin and John Maloney Dolly Chisholm Chun-Chih Chiu and I-Ping Chiu Sarah Christie and Chadwick Christie Elizabeth Clark and Courtney West Holly Clement and Stephen Clement Pamella Clemmons and Roland Clemmons Carol Cohen and Edward Cohen Jane Cohen and Richard Cohen Susan Cook and Clayton Cook Charlotte Cooksey Lida Cooper Heather Corbett Alea Cot and Jose Cot Kaye Courington and Lance Rydberg Lisa Cremin and W. Harlan Lisa Cristal and Bruce Cybul Jeanne Cummings and Charles Cummings Millibeth Currie and William Basco Leah Curtis Marley Cyrluk and Jonathan Cyrluk Patricia D’Andrea Jeri D’Lugin Jennifer Daniel Frank Daspit M. Davidson Yvette Davis Emily Davis-Hale Martha de Leon and Gustavo de Leon Florence Deer and Phillip Deer Nicky DeLange and Robert DeLange Maureen Detweiler Patricia Di Muzio Jean Dillahunty Katie Dochen
Palmour Dodd and Zane Dodd David Donnell Annette Doskey Clare Doyle Anne Ducanis Gillian Duncan and Raymond Belknap Elizabeth Duplantier Elizabeth Dwyer Mary Dyer Catherine Edwards and David Edwards Paula Eichenbrenner Lauren Eierman Lauren Elkin Suzanne Ellis Jane Emling Carol Engle and Brad Engle Margaret Engman and Edward Engman Donna Esteves and Richard Esteves Loraine Evans Merri Ex and Mitchell Ex Lisa Farley Phyllis Feibelman Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund Kristina Fink and Zachary Fink Jill Fisher and Geoffrey Fisher Carter Flemming and Michael Flemming Ann Flowerree Catherine Floyd Louise Foreman and Mark Foreman Eleanor Foster Maxine Fox and Barry Fox Jean Frank Andria Frankfort Jodi Franklin and David Franklin Gail Frasier Gale Freedman Nancy Gajewski Julie Galante Martha Gallant Brian Gamble and Henry Harbin Mary Garrard Shelley Gaynes and Bruce Gaynes Heinz Geiss Beth Ann Gemunder and David Gemunder Linda Genet Dana Gerard and Quin Gerard Mary Edith Germeau Robin Giarrusso Barbara Ginsberg and Howard Ginsberg Mara Giulianti and Donald Giulianti Clare Glassell Marian Glenn* Carole Gloger Nancy Goedecke and Glenn Goedecke Jacqueline Gold and Melvin Gold Maxine Goldman
Amanda Gordon and Ben Kornblet Peggy Gordon and Raymond Gordon Sheila Gorey Hallie Gorup and John Gorup Lark Granger Katie Gray Ann Green and D. Green Kerry Greene and David Greene Ericka Griffin and Christopher Griffin Jane Grimshaw Cheryl Grisson Elizabeth Gross and Phillip Gross Judy Grosz Katherine Grover Julianne Grundfest Nicolette Guillou Nancy Hailey and James Hailey Elizabeth Hall and John Hall Allyson Halperin Susan Halperin and Lawrence Halperin Marilyn Hamly Beth Hammerman and Neil Hammerman Devon Hardy Ann Harris Diane Harris and James Harris Martha Hart Cynthia Harter and John Harter Kathleen Hawk and Malcolm Hawk Diane Haynes and Vernon Haynes Nan Heard and Paul Krogstad Quinn Hebert Rosaria Heide and Rudolph Heide Calabria Heilmann Mary Helfet Jacquelynn Hendershott Ingeborg Hendley Jean Hendrickson and R. Hendrickson J. Henning and Standish Henning Charlotte Herman Rachel Herschlag Susan Herschlag and Richard Herschlag Caroline Hickman and R. Hickman Daphne Hill Gayle Hill Susan Hill Ashleigh Hite Nancy Hoffman and Phillip Hoffman Victoria Hofheinz Emily Holm and Theodore Holm Reva Holmes and Michael Holmes Maryem Hopkins MaryLynn Hopps Louise Horn Francine Horwich Patricia Hurley and Kim Hill
Dolliann Hurtig Jane Ireland and Samuel Ireland Jennifer Irons and George Hobor Mary Irvine* Lanier Isom and Hugo Isom Jean Jackson Bulloch Jean Jew Jessica Johnson and W. Johnson R. Johnson Emily Jones Gwin Jones and Sidney Jones Patricia Jones and Richard Jones Lynn Jordan and Richard Jordan Anne Joseph Cheryl Josephs-Zaccaro and Michael Zaccaro Ann Joslyn and William Edgar Adrienne Kalbacher and Karl Kalbacher Andrea Kann Jill Kantrow and Michael Kantrow Charel Katz Angela Keesee Elizabeth Keightley Diana Keir and Andrew Keir Carol Kellermann and Canon Kellermann Esther Kelly and Francis Kelly Irene Kelly Erin Kendall Sally Kenney and Norman Foster Diana Khajautia-Bharucha Joy Kilbourne and Edwin Kilbourne Anne Kincer and Reginald Kincer Andrea Kislan Samantha Klein Mary Kock Eleanor Komet Edith Kuebel Molli Kuenstner Catherine Kuhlman and William Kuhlman Kirsten Kuhlmann Rachael Kurland Mitzi Kuroda and Stephen Elledge Barbara Kurshan and Richard Kurshan Katherine Kusner Mary Langlois Andrea Lapsley and Robert Lapsley Constance Larimer Fran Laskofski and Wayne Laskofski Caroline Lavender Nead and Arthur Nead Meredith Lavin Punthrangkul Danielle Lee and Benjamin Lee Nancy Leeds Ruth Legum and Edward Legum Joan Lennox Gayle Lesser Blaine Levenson Andrea Leverentz
* deceased This information is accurate to the best of our knowledge as of July 31, 2016.
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NEWCOMB Donor Honor Roll
Linda Lewis-Moors and Patrick Lewis-Moors Barbara Lief and Jonathan Lief Elise Lippincott Loretta Loftus Phaedra Lombard and Elton Lombard Gail Long and Michael Long Elizabeth Lopez Elizabeth Lorber Anne Lowenburg M. Luskin Irene Lutkewitte and Thomas Lutkewitte Leslie Lux and Paul Lux S. Mahorner Virginia Maietta William Maiman Helen Major and W. Major Catherine Makk Lorraine Mallon Frances Manley Jordan Mann Barbara Marcus Diane Marcus Sylvia Margolies and Lawrence Margolies Deirdre Martel Kay Martin Carol Marx and Stanley Marx Shirley Masinter Jerry McAninch and William McAninch Kenneth McAshan Carolyn McCall Katelyn McCarthy Mary Young-McCoy and Stephen McCoy Anne McCulloch and Edgar McCulloch Judy McEnany and Michael McEnany Fionuala McGlinchey and Charles Monsted Lucinda McIntyre Jean McKinley Sandra McNamee and Douglas McNamee Suzanne McShane Claire McVadon and M. McVadon Patricia Meadows and William Meadows Suzanne Mercer and John Mercer Naomi Meyers Emily Middleton Carolyn Miele and William Miele Carline Mildor Jane Miller Leslie Miller and Brett Miller Priscilla Mims Casey Mochel Andrea Moffitt and Steven Moffitt Elizabeth Moran Ellen Moreton and Samuel Moreton Beatriz Morris
Anne Morse and James Morse Andree Moss Anita Moss Peggy Moss Jenni Murin and Michael Murin Keriann Murphy Lamar Murphy and William Murphy Linda Murphy-Wand and Tim Wand Jossy Nebenzahl Alison Nelson and David Nelson Heather Nelson Carole Netter Lisa Norris Kacey O’Brien and John O’Brien Colleen O’Donnell Mary O’Reilly and Peter O’Reilly Tolley Odom Jeanne Olivier and Robert Dineen Judith Olson and Leonard Olson Joanne Omang and David Burnham Statira Overstreet and W. Rich Judith Page and William Page Ashley Panion Carey Paret Sybil Patten Albert Patterson Elysee Peavy and Charles Peavy Karen Pekow and Joel Pekow Sofia Pendley and Shane Pendley Alison Perine Clara Perry and Michael Schwartz Jessalyn Peters D. Phillips Carolyn Piggott Soo-Kuen Plenkovich and Dinko Plenkovich Debbie Polishook and Robert Polishook Mary Pollard and O. Pollard Janet Postell and John Postell Anna Potter Nancy Potter and David Potter Sherry Prehoda and Michael Prehoda Andrea Price and Todd Price Lee Prina Evelyn Prince and Julian Prince Laura Purswell and Michal Purswell Winston Purvis Ann Queen Linda Quick Sarah Quintano Drue Quire Mary Radford and Robert Dana Kelly Ragland Leslie Rainbolt-Forbes Kara Ramsey Julie Range Lynn Rassieur and Benjamin Rassieur Annette Rau and Jack Rau Chloe Raub and Daniel Shedd Shirley Reddoch and Gregg Petersen Patricia Reed and Raymond Reed
Jill Reynolds Lisa Rice Gracibel Rickerfor Amanda Roberts and Sean Roberts Winifred Robinson and R. Robinson Frances Roche Cathleen Roche and Francis Roche Kathryn Roman and James Roman Sonja Romanowski Vivian Romero and Juan Romero Gayle Rosenthal Judith-Ann Rosenthal and Haskell Rosenthal Marie Ross and John Ross Katharine Ross-Merrell and James Merrell Arlene Rubel Amy Ruderman Gabriella Runnels Aracelly Santana Olive Sartor Judy Saslow Carolyn Saunders and William Saunders Stephanie Savor Sallie Scanlan Margaret Scarbrough Susan Schaefer Julie Schaitberger and Daniel Schaitberger Theresa Schieber Kelly Schiffer and Peter Schiffer Jace Schinderman Laurie Schloss and Lawrence Schloss Helen Schneidau Laura Schneider Florence Schornstein and Richard Schornstein Jackie Schornstein Sandra Schwarcz Alexa Schwartz Jeri Sebastian Sandra Segel Jennifer Seibert Jill Selati and Robin Selati Karen Seltzer and Steven Seltzer BJ Shannon Maude Sharp Helene Sheena and Ronnie Sheena Linda Sheff R. Shields Carole Shlipak and Louis Shlipak Joseph Shorter Anne Marie Shulman and Larry Shulman Jill Greenleaf and Aaron Siegal Mary Clare Siegel Dee Silverthorn and Andrew Silverthorn Kathryn Sims and Ralph Sims Heidi Singh and Niten Singh Aidan Smith and Patrick Sullivan Carol Smith Claire Smith G. Smith Nancy Smith
M. Smither-Norr Pam Spanjer and Byron Spanjer Mary Sparacello and Paul Sparacello Shaina Spector Natalie Spitzer Elizabeth Stafford Irene Steinberg Judith Steinberg and Sylvan Steinberg Elise Stephens Hina Stickman and Jon Stickman Carolyn Stifel Susan Stine Effie Stockton Kerry Stockwell Genevieve Stoesz and Chad Stoesz Helen Stone Janice Straub and J. Straub G. Stricklin and Stephen Nichols Marian Strug Anne Sutherlin Adrianne Swerdlow Myra Thalheim Sarah Therriault and Russell Therriault Joyce Thibodeaux and William Thibodeaux Leila Thissell Camille Thomas and G. Thomas Linda Thornton-McAteer and Vincent McAteer Karline Tierney Kathleen Timmins Alisa Toney and Keith Toney Betsie Tremant Jessica Troske Lucile Trueblood Joan Tupper Laura Van de Planque and Michael Van de Planque Carol Vatz and Joel Rosch D. Jean Veta and Mary Dutton Jeanne Vizzi Germaine Vorhoff and Robbert Vorhoff Shirley Wall and John Wall Laura Waller Cathleen Walter Lucy Walters and John Walters Joan Watkins Carla Weber and Ralph Weber Fay Wedig Susan Wedlan and Harold Rosen Jocelyn Weinberg Karen Weinberg and Daniel Weinberg Riki Weinstein and Daniel Morrison Marion Weiss Brenda Wells and Joseph Wells Deborah Wells Fontaine Wells and William Wells Martha Wells and Max Wells Patricia Westerman Lauren Wethers
Margaret Wheat-Carter Bridget Wicklander and Raymond Wicklander Mary Widmann Nancy Wiener Nell Wilson and Donald Wilson Rebecca Wilson and Kyle Wilson Winnie Wilson Carol Wise Carolyn Wogan and John Wogan Sandra Wolf Laura Wolford Carolyn Wood and Charles Wood Carolyn Woosley Addie Worthington Bergman Worthington Julie Young Keela Young Lindy Zee Paula Zielonka and Carl Zielonka Elizabeth Zorowitz and Richard Zorowitz Elana Zucker and Brian Zucker
Corporations and Foundations American Endowment Foundation Auch Family Revocable Living Trust Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC Collins C. Diboll Private Foundation The Community Foundation of North Louisiana Dallas Jewish Community Foundation Deeks Family Foundation The Dun and Bradstreet Corporate Foundation Emerson Charitable Trust Entergy Charitable Foundation ExxonMobil Foundation Federal National Mortgage Association Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund First Clearing, LLC Global Family Medicine PLLC The Greater New Orleans Foundation Hampton Roads Community Foundation IBM International Foundation Ingersoll-Rand Company Jewish Endowment Foundation Kahn Education Foundation Keir Construction LLC Liberty Hill Foundation M.B. and Edna Zale Foundation Nebenzahl-Spitz Foundation New Jersey Natural Gas Company The Orthopedic Center of St. Louis Out of the Box Foundation Principal Financial Group Foundation, Inc. Ross-Merrell Associates The Schloss Foundation Selati Family Foundation Steelhead Consulting Incorporated UBS, AG
* deceased This information is accurate to the best of our knowledge as of July 31, 2016.
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To make a gift, visit tulane.edu/giving.
Events
Newcomb College Institute sponsors a variety of events on campus and in cities around the country. Upcoming events include... — 2 0 1 6 —
Political Ephemera & Memorabilia
REUNION • FAMILY WEEKEND
NEWCOMB BOOK CLUBS
Lectures, a luncheon, and Tulane-style tailgating, a weekend of traditions.
Sunday, October 2 | 4:30 pm
TULANE UNIVERSITY
HOMECOMING
Highlights from the Newcomb Archives
OCTOBER 27 • 28 • 29
SOUTH TEXAS
LEAWOOD, KANSAS
Thursday, October 13 | 6:30 pm
WASHINGTON, DC
Monday, October 17 | 6 pm
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA Thursday, October 20 | 6 pm
DALLAS, TEXAS
Tuesday, October 25 | 7:30 pm
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
Thursday, October 27 | 6:30 pm
CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA Thursday, November 3 | 7 pm
Collection items featured in this exhibit date as far back as the early 20th century, from the movement for American women’s voting rights, to those that capture more recent women’s political movements and participation in politics. Seltzer-Gerard Reading Room First Floor of the Caroline Richardson Bldg., 62 Newcomb Pl. Open Monday-Friday 12-4 pm, September 7, 2016 through January 31, 2017.
An Evening with
DAYTON, OHIO
MEG WOLITZER
Thursday, November 10 | 7 pm
The 2017 Zale-Kimmerling Writer-in-Residence
Saturday, November 12 | 2 pm
Oaks
March 6, 7 pm
Under t he
A ceremony honoring graduating women and the Newcomb College Class of 1967
May 19, 2017
For a complete list of events, visit tulane.edu/newcomb.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA Saturday, November 12 | 4:30 pm
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA Sunday, November 13 | 12 pm
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA Tuesday, November 15 | 6 pm
BELLAIRE, TEXAS
Tuesday, November 15 | 7 pm
CAMARILLO, CALIFORNIA Saturday, December 3 | 6:30 pm
MORRISVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA Tuesday, December 6 | 7 pm
DENVER, COLORADO
Sunday, December 11 | 2 pm
PORTLAND, MAINE TBD
For more information contact newcombalumnae@tulane.edu.
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
— 2 0 1 6 — TULANE UNIVERSITY
HOMECOMING REUNION • FAMILY WEEKEND
OCTOBER 27 • 28 • 29
Only at Newcomb College Institute. Available at Homecoming! 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.”
vs. HOMECOMING GAME SATURDAY, OCT. 29 Book your travel now! Visit us online for more information homecoming.tulane.edu