THE COLLEGIAN
Fall 2024
Letter from the Dean
Wow, what a year it’s been! I’ve just wrapped my first year as Dean (and my 13th at Tulane!), and I am more inspired today than the day I began in this role.
I spent the year talking with all sorts of Tulanians – students, faculty, staff, leaders, alumni, parents, community members, and supporters. And what I learned validated what I already knew – that we are a premier university for undergraduate education.
We attract the brightest and most ambitious students to study at Tulane. And this year was no exception!
This past fall, we welcomed nearly 1850 first-year students to our campus. They arrived from 49 states and territories and more than 55 countries. Add in our 150 transfer students and 150 Spring Scholars, and you have…yet again…the most academically accomplished class to ever step foot on Tulane’s campus. Notably, a record-breaking 15% of this class are the first in their families to attend college. You’ll read more about our commitment to these students in this issue (see p. 21).
At Newcomb-Tulane College, we offer a four-year experience filled with opportunities for deep, meaningful learning. We start with an unmatched portfolio of courses and programs of intellectual exploration taught by our award-winning faculty (see p. 6). Beyond the four walls of the classroom, our students have opportunities to learn from groundbreaking alumni like Lisa Jackson (see p. 3) and life-changing study abroad experiences (see p. 7).
And when their time at Tulane comes to end, our students leave ready to make their mark on the world! They enter careers in the most exciting organizations, are admitted to top graduate schools, and earn prestigious fellowships. We are particularly proud that, last year, 39 Tulanians were awarded these postgraduate fellowships, and we are excited to spotlight some of these students in this issue (see p. 11).
There has never been a more exciting time to be a Tulanian! Thank you for being a part of this special community.
Dean Mollye Demosthenidy
TRAILBLAZING ALUMNA HIGHLIGHTS MENTORSHIP DURING
DEAN’S COLLOQUIUM
By: Alicia Serrano Bilich
The 2024 Newcomb-Tulane College John J. Witmeyer III Dean’s Colloquium brought together students, faculty, staff and alumni to hear from a distinguished Tulanian discussing their inspiring journey and career.
Alumna and Board of Tulane member Lisa P. Jackson served as guest speaker, and prominent attorney and Board of Tulane member Kim Boyle served as moderator. Jackson is Apple’s vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives and was the first Black administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Jackson has also been honored as a Tulane Trailblazer.
Boyle is vice-managing partner of Phelps Dunbar LLP’s New Orleans office and was the first Black woman president of the Louisiana State Bar Association and first Black president of the New Orleans Bar Association.
The colloquium kicked off Tulane’s Black Alumni Weekend, dedicated to celebrating the contributions and accomplishments of Black Tulanians.
“We believe in the power of Tulane and Tulanians to make a positive difference in the world,” President Michael A. Fitts said. “Today’s event is a conversation between two members of the Tulane community who are doing just that.”
An undercurrent of the talk was the importance of having mentors and strong influencers for guidance and support. “I think the people who encourage us and influence us have such a lasting impact on who we are and what we think we can achieve and where we end up,” Boyle said.
Jackson shared who those influencers are for her. She mentioned Sam Sullivan, dean of the Tulane School of Engineering (now named the School of Science and Engineering) during the time she was an undergraduate in chemical engineering, and the Tulane faculty who “helped prepare me for what I would see when I went to Princeton,” where she earned her master’s degree.
When answering Boyle’s question about navigating adversity throughout her life, Jackson said an advantage was her sense of confidence. “But I didn’t always have it,” she said.
She recalled an experience in a high school math class, while Boyle recalled one she had in the courtroom as a
Of all the illustrious milestones throughout her career, Jackson said, “The big things in my life are always related to community.” She credited growing up in New Orleans with this foundation, which sparked her caring about the environmental impacts on her community and that of others.
Jackson emphasized the need for programs that foster such mentorship as well as overall confidence in students, like the Tulane summer STEM program she attended in high school that first drew her to chemical engineering, and similar ones now offered to Tulane students such as ConnecTU Summer Experience, formerly known as the Newcomb-Tulane College Summer Experience, which helps newly admitted students from underserved backgrounds gain early access to college life and intellectual engagement. Jackson and her husband, Kenneth, donated a generous gift to support the program in 2021.
“Those programs give you a minute to have that moment of self-doubt and figure out who is going to get you through it,” she said. “But the challenge in that first moment … is to not think it’s you, to not think you have impostor syndrome.”
Tulane senior Kwesil Ezeh, a political science and international relations major with a minor in sociology on the pre-law track, attended the event and read Tulane’s Land Acknowledgement ahead of the conversation.
What resonated with Ezeh was Jackson’s and Boyle’s points about mentorship and perseverance when facing adversity.
“Realizing that these esteemed professionals had endured and triumphed over similar adversities provided a profound sense of comfort and a testament to resilience,” Ezeh said. “Their experiences, shared with such candor, not only offered me solace but have also fortified my resolve, as I know that their stories will be a source of strength for me during times of tribulation in my life.”
2024 FACULTY AWARDS
Time and time again, our faculty demonstrate their dedication to our students and their pursuit of academic excellence. Our community of scholars thrives because of the faculty-student bonds forged within the classroom and beyond. Their contributions make a lasting impact on the College, and most importantly, our students.
CAREER & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AWARD
Leslie Geddes
Berlisha Morton Brittany Kennedy COLLEGE MENTOR AWARD
Jacquelyne Howard COMMUNITY, BELONGING, AND EQUITY AWARD
Khedidja Boudaba
HONORS THESIS PROFESSOR AWARD
Maria Galazo Casey Love
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS CHAMPION AWARD
Robert Connor
UNDERGRADUATE MAJOR ADVISOR AWARD
Christine Smith
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH MENTOR AWARD
Holly Flora Debra Salbador
FELLOWSHIP STUDENT SUPPORT AWARD
Jelagat Cheruiyot
OUTSTANDING NTC FACULTY AWARD
Ebony Perro Meenakshi Vijayaraghavan
HONOR BOARD AWARD
Tim McLean
Tulane Senior Opens French Doors
“
Beyond instilling the importance of language-learning as part of my life, this experience also reminds me to regularly challenge myself by stepping out of my comfort bubble.
- Gabby Evans
Tulane students have new study abroad opportunities thanks to senior Gabby Evans, a dual-degree student studying public health and French. She independently completed a semester abroad in France, Morocco, and Senegal via Academic Programs Abroad (APA), which led to the program’s official inclusion in Tulane’s extensive study abroad portfolio.
Evans’ intellectual curiosity about colonial legacies and their lasting impact on diasporic countries was the impetus for selecting this program. After a previous study abroad experience in Ghana, a former British colony, Evans developed a passion for learning more about post-colonialism, including France’s complex impacts across the African continent. Additionally, this program provided her with firsthand experience in understanding non-Parisian French accents, which was essential for the development of her listening comprehension skills.
“This program reinforced how important ethically immersing myself in new cultures, challenging my level of comfort, and being open-minded are to my value system,” said Evans. “Beyond instilling the importance of language-learning as part of my life, this experience also reminds me to regularly challenge myself by stepping out of my comfort bubble.” Evans recommends the program to all Tulanians interested in an education-focused Francophone experience, and by participating in this program as an independent scholar, she has opened doors for her fellow students.
During her time in France, Morocco, and Senegal, Evans engaged in a wide variety of activities to immerse herself in the unique aspects of the local culture, such as touring Senegal’s Île de Gorée, exploring Versailles, attending a soccer match, making bread, walking through Monet’s gardens, listening to an opera and even partaking in a hammam experience.
“Gabby’s experience at APA paved the way for other Tulane undergraduates to participate in this unique program, which is now an official option through our Office of Study Abroad,” said Dr. Casey Love, Associate Dean and Director of the Center for Global Education. “Newcomb-Tulane College students can study abroad in three countries—Senegal, Morocco, and France—while solidifying their French language skills. The APA program is academically rigorous and linguistically immersive, and students are challenged by the multicultural contexts that they encounter in these three locations.”
WORDS IN PROGRESS
Tulane’s Writing Center is raising the bar for academic work across the university through high-impact support
You stare at a blank screen, fingers seemingly petrified as they hover over your keyboard, unsure of which keys to strike. Your eyes flick anxiously to the clock. Has it really been three hours already? Each passing second brings you ever closer to your essay deadline. What’s stopping you from committing your thoughts to (digital) paper? Whatever it may be, Tulane’s Writing Center can help students overcome even the most serious cases of writer’s block and empower them to take their writing abilities to new heights.
As a part of the Academic Learning & Tutoring Center, the Writing Center is located in their office suite in the basement of Howard-Tilton Memorial Library and its services are available to all members of the Tulane community. At the most basic level, students engaging with the Writing Center can receive help with comprehending a text, brainstorming ideas, organizing an argument, researching subject matter, and turning a rough draft into a finalized paper. “
“No matter where you are in your composition process, our tutors are ready to help,” said Dr. Matthew Sumpter, Faculty Director of the Writing Center. “This ends up mattering to students in ways that transcend a better grade. Our tutors help students fearful of failure find a voice. Our tutors help budding scholars say something meaningful. Our tutors help advanced scholars make contributions to their fields. We even help students compose successful personal statements for jobs, grad school, medical school, law school, and competitive fellowships like the Fulbright.”
“Writing lies at the very center of most intellectual inquiry; it’s how we invent, organize, persuade, create meaning, and make decisions about what we believe,” said Dr. Sumpter. “We as a Writing Center want to honor the importance of writing, we want to share the challenges it creates, and we want to serve as friendly helpers for Tulane’s thoughtful student body.”
FROM SURVIVING TO THRIVING
How personalized Success Coaching creates positive outcomes in the classroom and beyond
Today’s college students face immense pressure to excel in every aspect of their lives. They juggle competing academic, social, and professional obligations, which leads to stress, anxiety, and frustration. In turn, these feelings can have a compounding negative impact on meeting these same obligations, kicking off a vicious cycle that leaves students feeling hopeless. As an institution, we are unwaveringly committed to the wellbeing of each of our students and stopping this cycle before it even begins through comprehensive support systems like Success Coaching.
Beyond cultivating important skills like time management and high-impact studying practices, Success Coaches and Peer Success Leaders – specially trained student leaders who connect with students in a peer-to-peer manner – work with students to uncover the root causes of the challenges they face and develop individualized tactics to overcome them. “It’s our mission to provide scaffolding in which students can build their own success,” says Logan Chapman, Director of Success Coaching. “When students meet with our team, they have a space where they can escape ‘the grind’ and sort through their thoughts, goals, and motivations with an experienced coach.”
One of the best ways that students can engage with Success Coaching is through the Peer Success Leaders (PSL) program. Meeting with a PSL can feel less
daunting than scheduling time with a staff member and the student-to-student nature of the relationship can foster an immediate connection. Oftentimes, PSLs were once on the other side of the coaching relationship; they needed the very same skills and support they now offer to other students.
Catarina Vazquez (’26) is one such mentee-turnedPeer Success Leader. As a first-year student, she began meeting with a Success Coach to learn how to navigate the university’s academic resources. Now a junior, Vazquez works with peers to help them develop the same skills she learned early in her academic journey.
“I think one of the biggest challenges for students is the initial transition to college, which is a completely new environment with new people and expectations,” said Vazquez. “Students have to learn how to find their place on campus, keep up with demanding classes, and take on new responsibilities. While this is a very exciting time, it is also an overwhelming time. A lot of the students I have worked with are in the midst of learning how to manage their time, self-motivate, and set their own goals to create a good work/life balance. To best set the mentee up for success, I think it is important to take the time to get to know them and learn what they value most in their college experience.”
Our students have a lot of plates spinning at any given time between their academic, social, and professional endeavors, but Success Coaching at Tulane can alleviate that burden and help our students thrive. By cultivating the skills and mindset needed for success, our coaching programs ensure that students not only succeed in the classroom but are also well-prepared for the challenges of life outside the classroom walls.
UNPRECEDENTED SUCCESS
Throughout the 2023-2024 school year, Undergraduate Research & Fellowships mentored 39 students along their journeys to win nationally competitive scholarships, attend graduate school, and conduct original research.
Pictured: Mary Lorino
MARSHALL SCHOLAR
Mary Lorino (NTC ’24) has been selected as a 2024 Marshall Scholar to pursue two years of graduate study in Great Britain.
The Marshall Scholarship promotes mutual understanding between the British and American peoples, while contributing to the advancement of knowledge in Britain’s most prestigious centers of academic excellence. Mary will pursue dual Master of Research degrees in Integrative Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh, Scotland. Through her research in the UK Mary aims to contribute to the development of stem cell therapeutics for rare neurodegenerative diseases.
Beginning her sophomore year at Tulane, Mary worked as an undergraduate research assistant in Dr. Maria Galazo’s lab studying the impact of neurodevelopmental disorders, like autism spectrum disorder, on cerebral cortex development. Mary’s inquiries into neurodegenerative conditions continued the summer after that, when she conducted research at the University of Chicago with neurologists, Dr. James Mastrianni and Dr. Kaitlin Seibert. There she developed a behavioral battery to assess social cognition in dementia patients.
“
These experiences confirmed my passion for research and equipped me with the skills to be a successful Marshall winner. I chose to apply for this scholarship for the intellectual freedom to devote two years to studying the topics that excite me most, something I may not have time for in my future medical training.
- Mary Lorino
LEARN MORE:
Hear directly from Mary about her research and future plans through this video interview.
OBAMA-CHESKY VOYAGER SCHOLAR
Elal
Tilahun, a rising junior majoring in international relations and minoring in French and economics will be part of the 2024-26 cohort of the Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship. She is the second Tulane student in history to earn this scholarship.
The Obama Foundation established the award to recognize students with a demonstrated commitment to careers in public service. This award provides Elal with up to $25,000 per year in “last dollar” financial aid, which covers the remaining expenses of her junior and senior years of college. In addition, she will receive a $10,000 stipend and free Airbnb housing to pursue a summer work-travel experience between her junior and senior
years. After Elal graduates, Airbnb will provide her with a $2,000 Airbnb travel credit every year for 10 years, totaling $20,000. This will allow her to continue broadening her horizons and forge new connections throughout her public service career.
This award seemed like the perfect opportunity to combine my passions and gain valuable mentorship and support for my goals in education reform and youth empowerment.
- Elal Tilahun
PAST & PRESENT: GATES CAMBRIDGE
LEARN MORE:
Emily Kraus (NTC ‘24) has been awarded the prestigious Gates Cambridge scholarship. Emily will continue to study climate science at the University of Cambridge in the hopes of predicting and mitigating anthropogenic climate change. Ron Scalise, Professor of Civil Law, was Tulane’s first-ever Gates Cambridge Scholar.
Hear directly from Emily about her research and future plans through this video interview.
Learning about and living with the effects of climate change have been consistent themes throughout my life. Growing up just outside of New Orleans, the urgency of these issues was instilled in me from a very young age.
- Emily Kraus
TULANE’S FIRST MITCHELL SCHOLAR
Kiera Sky Torpie (NTC ‘20) is headed to Ireland after receiving the George J. Mitchell Scholarship. Kiera is the first-ever Tulanian to receive this prestigious award. She will pursue a master’s in creative writing at Queen’s University Belfast.
From an early age, Kiera understood that writing had the power to connect. Her relationship with her incarcerated father was largely bound by letters. After her father’s death, she learned that writing can also heal. While at Tulane, she created a workshop for girls whose families had been impacted by incarceration.
Kiera says her goal is to create cathartic healing experiences for others through writing. Since graduating from Tulane, Kiera has held various roles in TV, film, and theater production. Beyond that, she produced her own play, “Sunny Makes a Scene,” at The Festival Fringe in Edinburgh. The dark comedy follows a teenage girl as she wreaks havoc at her dad’s Irish Catholic wake. To address its theme of addiction, she collaborated with a local harm reduction organization. Representatives of the group attended each performance and handed out overdose prevention resources to patrons as they left.
It feels surreal to win this award - it’s just such a huge gift. Studying creative writing in Ireland is genuinely a dream come true for me. “
- Kiera Sky Torpie
TWO-TIME TOP FULBRIGHT PRODUCER
For the second year in a row, Tulane University has been recognized as one of the top producers of students selected in the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, the government’s flagship international educational exchange program.
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs named Tulane a Fulbright Top Producing Institution for U.S. Students for 20232024, a recognition given to the U.S. colleges and universities that received the highest number of applicants selected in the program last year. Thirteen students from Tulane were selected for Fulbright awards out of 44 applicants from the university.
“This remarkable accomplishment is a testament to the extraordinary students in our intellectual community and their dedication to making positive impacts on a global scale,” said Mollye Demosthenidy, Dean of Newcomb-Tulane College. “I am immensely proud of the Office of Undergraduate Research & Fellowships and our students for earning this honor two years in a row. The College is excited to see how these students continue to exercise their curiosity, creativity, and adventurousness throughout their time as Fulbright Scholars and beyond.”
THREE NSF-GRFP FELLOWS
Three recent Tulane alumni have received competitive fellowships from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP). The NSF GRFP seeks to uphold the vitality of the nation’s science and engineering workforce by supporting research-based advanced study for exceptional undergraduate seniors and early-career graduate students.
Fellows are anticipated to develop expertise in their research area and make significant contributions to teaching, innovation, and technologies. This year’s winning Tulanians are Helen Weierbach (’20), Sydney Koehne (’22), and Blaine Martin (’23).
This fellowship will allow Helen Weierbach to complete a thesis-based Masters in the Hydrological Sciences. Her research will focus on employing Machine Learning techniques to learn transfer information from high-resolution datasets about how mountainous watersheds in the Western U.S. are responding to hydrological drought.
Sydney Koehne will use the funding to support her research goals while pursuing her Ph.D. in chemistry at Northwestern University and help with her postPh.D. plans. She hopes to start her own research lab after graduation and pursue a career as an independent researcher.
Blaine Martin is pursuing his Ph.D. at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the Department of Plant Biology with Dr. Jim Dalling. This fellowship will allow him to conduct extensive fieldwork in Western Panama, and potentially new field sites, as he studies plant-fungal interactions.
Since 1952, NSF has funded over 70,000 Graduate Research Fellowships out of more than 500,000 applicants. Currently, 42 Fellows have gone on to become Nobel laureates, and more than 450 have become members of the National Academy of Sciences.
2023-2024
TULANE FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENTS
Critical Language Scholarship
Hope Melton
Jack DeFraites
Andrea Chen
Fulbright Scholars
Celia Acosta
Grace Harsche
Joshua Belew
Jack DeFraites
Julie Klingenstein
Jasmine Kiley
Patrick Urbine
Hannah Merwin
William Bai
Hannah Stoner
Gates Cambridge
Emily Kraus
Obama-Chesky Voyager
Elal Tilahun
Gilman Scholars
Dakota Shelton
Makaiah Mickle
Lily Markus
James King
Thaleia Dufrene
Jennifer Herrera Cano
Kendall Fields
Jordan Williams
John Paul Tran
Cassiana Mefrige
Emma Marie Crawford
Sevgi Callia
Goldwater Scholarship
Bradley Smith
Knight Hennessy Scholarship
Batu El
Marshall Scholarship
Mary Lorino
Mitchell Scholarship
Kiera Torpie
PPIA
Ayanna Hill
Schwarzman Scholarship
Ruochen Sun
NSF-GRFP
Helen Weierbach
Blaine Martin
Sydney Koehne
Boren Scholarship
Samuel Tarpley
UK Summer Fulbright
Joscelyn Caldwell
Princeton in Asia
Zoe Friese
GOLDWATER SCHOLAR
TheBarry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation has awarded Tulane’s Brady Jin-Smith with a Goldwater Scholarship. The Goldwater Scholarship Program is one of the oldest and most prestigious national scholarships in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics in the United States.
The award seeks to identify, encourage, and financially support college sophomores and juniors, like Jin-Smith, who show exceptional promise of becoming the nation’s next generation of research leaders in these fields. “I believe my relentless pursuit of research and discovery made me a strong candidate for this award,” said JinSmith. “I developed very close bonds with my mentors, who helped me to formulate a strong application without directly helping me. Their intense demands made writing the application simpler and I was better able to concisely convey my research.”
After taking a gap year to conduct translational tumor detection research, Brady plans to apply for MD-Ph.D. programs in cancer biology.
PUBLIC POLICY & INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Although only a junior, Ayanna Hill is already reaping the benefits of her hard work and determination. She has been selected to participate in the Public Policy & International Affairs (PPIA) Program’s Junior Summer Institute.
Hill has been preparing herself for an opportunity like this since her first year at Tulane when she began meeting with Tulane’s Diplomat in Residence. Through
this connection, Hill was able to meet and learn from leaders in international affairs, such as Timmy Davis, the Ambassador to Qatar, and Linda ThomasGreenfield, the Ambassador to the United Nations.
After graduate school, Ayanna is interested in pursuing a career within the federal government as a diplomat or cultivating her own international development-based non-profit.
This program provides me with greater hope that the possibility of attending graduate school is not just a dream, but a genuine possibility.” “
- Ayanna Hill
SAFI is an extraordinary organization founded and run by students driven to make positive changes in our community. Their dedication to addressing food insecurity is inspiring and embodies the spirit of compassion and service that uniquely defines our student body. I look forward to seeing the ways in which these students continue to make a lasting, meaningful impact in the world and their communities during their time at Tulane and beyond.
– Mollye Demosthenidy, Dean, Newcomb-Tulane College
POSSE SCHOLARS ADDRESS INEQUALITY
AND FOOD INSECURITY
After learning about the prevalence of food insecurity among college students and meeting with coordinators of several university pantries to learn about their operations, Janae Burney founded Students Against Food Insecurity (SAFI).
According to the National Institute of Health, 1 in 3 university students experience food insecurity. College campuses are becoming increasingly aware of this and have taken action to address it in different ways. While Tulane provides resources for students in need through the Swipe Out Hunger program, a consistent food resource is still needed for students who are not always able to afford a trip to the grocery store. Since its founding, SAFI has garnered support from student organizations and university departments, and distributed over 3,500 pounds of grocery items to the Tulane community.
SAFI is operated by an executive board and thirteen students and advised by Maurice Smith, Associate Director of the Center for Public Service.
President Janae Burney is a third-year student majoring in Public Health with a minor in Africana Studies. She is a Posse Scholar from Los Angeles. Her academic and career passions lie in studying maternal-child health and learning about initiatives that
address the structural inequities that hinder communities from accessing health care.
First Vice President Treasure Joiner is a third-year undergraduate student studying Public Health and Africana Studies. She is a Posse Scholar passionate about maternal and child health and reproductive justice.
Second Vice President Joseph Benefiel is a junior majoring in Psychology with minors in Africana Studies and Gender & Sexuality studies. He is a Posse Scholar from Los Angeles. His academic interests include the intersections of research psychology and the LGBTQIA+ community.
In addition to providing food to those in need, SAFI aims to increase awareness about food insecurity among Tulane students and the prevalence of food apartheid within the New Orleans community.
SAFI collaborates with other student organizations to put forth initiatives focused on education about food insecurity and related
resources, and champions impactful service events and excursions by forming long-lasting relationships with community partners.
The SAFI board is proud of the work they’ve done, but also have their eyes on the future as they seek to expand the services and resources they provide to the Tulane community and beyond.
“
My hope is for the pantry to continue to provide supplemental groceries and nutrition education to the entire Tulane community, including expanding our distribution to dining and janitorial staff. Additionally, I hope to further develop our community partnerships to be able to redistribute food that typically gets wasted from local restaurants and grocery stores.
– Janae Burney, SAFI President
DATA FOR THE MASSES
How Tulane is demystifying data science and bringing data literacy to our community and beyond.
Tulane University’s Connolly Alexander Institute for Data Science (CAIDS) is an innovative, multifaceted hub of learning and collaboration that operates under a singular axiom: ‘Data Is For Everyone’. This sentiment rings true throughout the entirety of their expansive operation, from coursework, to research opportunities, to peer mentoring, and everything in between.
The founding of the Connolly Alexander Institute for Data Science is rooted in Tulane’s commitment to excellence and innovation. Originally conceived as part of the university’s 2019 Quality Enhancement Plan, a strategic initiative aimed at enhancing educational quality and student learning outcomes, the institute was established with the goal of ensuring that all Tulane graduates can find, assess, and analyze data, as well as communicate their findings effectively. This work is
generously supported through a transformational $12.5 million gift by Libby Alexander (NC ’84), alumna and Board of Tulane member, and her husband, Robert. In an increasingly data-driven world, CAIDS provides a myriad of opportunities for Tulanians to explore the depths of data literacy and actionize their learning in the classroom and beyond.
Central to the institute’s endeavors is its emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration. By bringing together experts from diverse fields, CAIDS fosters a culture of cross-pollination, where insights from one discipline inform and enrich the perspectives of another. This collaborative ethos not only embodies their ‘Data Is For Everyone’ mantra, it also enhances the quality and depth of its research and educational offerings for the Tulane community.
For Dr. Patrick Button, the institute’s founding Executive Director, and CAIDS faculty members Dr. Lisa Dilks, Dr. Jacquelyne Thoni Howard, and Dr. John Levendis, one of the key goals in designing the CAIDS curriculum was identifying and eliminating barriers that impede learning. To that end, CAIDS courses intentionally lack prerequisites and fulfill various core curriculum requirements. This increased flexibility allows students to exercise their intellectual curiosity and shape their unique academic journey. “This approach has been wildly popular with students,” said Button. “We hear from students about their ‘light bulb’ moments, the times when things ‘click’, and they’re excited about both the subject matter itself and their newfound ability to understand data and apply it to their coursework and other projects. The stories never get old and creating these moments was the reason I pursued being a professor in the first place.”
DATA 1010: Introduction to Data is a CAIDS course open to all students, and for many of them, it will be their first foray into the discipline. Regardless of major or experience, the course primes students to begin acquiring a deeper understanding of data through the exploration of several key questions: what constitutes data, what are the ethics of data usage, how and why is data collected, how can data be analyzed and communicated, and what are the concerns around data privacy? Beyond these questions, students also learn how data is actionized through modern examples, like how one’s internet browsing directly impacts the ads they see online or how political polling data can be extrapolated to predict election results.
By bringing together experts from diverse fields, CAIDS fosters a culture of cross-pollination, where insights from one discipline inform and enrich the perspectives of another.
obfuscating key information to push viewers toward a misleading conclusion – and Causal Inference – which teaches students how to scrutinize data to isolate and understand causal relationships instead of inferring conclusions that aren’t necessarily backed by the data.
Beyond its academic offerings, CAIDS offers a range of programs designed to enrich student experiences and facilitate real-world application of data literacy skills. Research internships in The Data Lab provide students with hands-on experience working on projects alongside faculty mentors, while the Data Ambassador Council, Data Help Desk, and Peer Mentor Program foster peer-to-peer learning and collaboration. These initiatives underscore the institute’s commitment to actionizing data literacy and empowering students to make meaningful interdisciplinary connections.
Looking to the future, Dr. Button is excited to further expand the opportunities and experiences facilitated by the Connolly Alexander Institute for Data Science. “We’ve had major success with our current courses and are developing more on crucial subjects, like the role of data in creating and using artificial intelligence,” said Button. “We’re also planning to launch minors and certificates in data literacy and data science. Beyond the classroom, we plan to expand the undergraduate and service-learning research opportunities to broader audiences. This hands-on work often builds skills better than just taking courses, and it produces tangible products that highlight the impressive skills of our students.”
Learning doesn’t stop with DATA 1010; students can expand their expertise through specialized curriculum offerings on subjects like Data Communication – where they learn how to turn raw data into easily understood visualizations for broader audiences, as well as critically analyze visualizations to determine if a graphic is
Pictured: Dr. Jacquelyne Howard
FIRST IN THE FAMILY
How Tulane is welcoming an increased number of First-Gen students and creating an environment that facilitates their success
Rememberback to the beginning of your college experience. Your first time on campus, walking into your first class, your first all-night study session, or nervously turning in your first homework assignment. It was a time filled with new challenges, but for firstgeneration college students, the challenges started even earlier. These students are the first in their family to compare the merits of different universities, the first in the family to fill out complicated financial aid forms, and the first in the family to attend college and step into an utterly unknown environment.
First-generation college students, frequently referred to as ‘first-gen students,’ are students whose parents did not attend college or graduate with a bachelor’s degree. They are trailblazers within their families and face unique obstacles throughout their college careers. “Tulane has never been more committed to enrolling, supporting and graduating first-generation college students,” said Shawn Abbott, dean of admission and vice president for enrollment management at Tulane. “In just two years, we have doubled the number and percentage of first-generation college students and in the Class of 2028, we just welcomed the arrival of a record-breaking number of first-gen students to Tulane.”
Finding Community
First-gen students can find their ‘home away from home’ at the Center for Academic Equity. From their first oncampus experiences with First-Gen Orientation, all the way to the First Generation Graduation Celebration, first-gen students are supported at every step of their academic journey through interconnected services, resources, and programming initiatives.
First-Gen Orientation is a special event geared toward directly connecting first-gen students with campus resources and support systems that will aid them throughout their time at Tulane and beyond. As part of this orientation event, first-gen students come together for dinner with their peers, as well as first-gen
faculty and staff from across the university who know the challenges they face through their own firsthand experiences.
After dinner, a first-gen mixer facilitates bonds between students and serves as an introduction point to the closeknit first-gen community at Tulane. This community is incredibly important to our students, and the university as a whole. Instead of navigating the college experience by themselves, they have a supportive network of peers, faculty, and staff to provide support and guidance. More than that, they find a sense of belonging and community in an otherwise unfamiliar environment that lasts a lifetime. These relationships grow and enhance their connections with one another and to Tulane.
Interconnected Support Systems
Beyond creating life-long connections between firstgen students, Newcomb-Tulane College supports their academic success through resources like the Academic Learning & Tutoring Center. Students can utilize this resource to gain a better understanding of course content, engage in group learning sessions through Supplemental Instruction, or even just find a quiet study environment.
Individualized support is crucial to the success of our first-gen students. Through Success Coaching, students receive one-on-one mentoring tailored to their unique needs, goals, and aspirations. It can also serve as a
warm introduction to additional campus resources that further support our first-gen students along their academic journey.
The Career Launch Program, an initiative hosted by Career Services, takes a hands-on, action-oriented approach to teaching first-gen students how to network. The program teaches participants about the concept of social capital, gives them the tools to increase their own social capital, and builds the foundation for a lifelong professional network. The knowledge and skills developed through the program lead to improved career outcomes at Tulane and beyond as they ‘launch’ into their chosen career.
Robust Programming Initiatives
As you can tell from our support systems, first-gen students aren’t just welcomed during orientation and then left to their own devices. Tulane provides a robust calendar of social and academic events to enhance the college experience in the classroom and beyond.
First-Gen Friday is an innovative programming series that fosters deeper connections between students in small-group settings. Each month, students come together as a group and attend a diverse array of community-building events and activities such as socials, off-campus excursions, and local culinary experiences.
November 8th is National First-Generation Day. Universities across the country celebrate the successes of their first-gen students. At Tulane, this takes the form of First-Gen Celebration Day, a day-long festival in Pocket Park by the Lavin-Bernick Center. This event honors the hard work and dedication put forth by our first-gen students, reminds them of campus support services, and educates the broader campus community about first-generation college students.
Celebration serves as the culmination of the time, effort, and accomplishments of our first-gen students. At this point, students know they’ve ‘made it.’ They’re the first in their family to earn a college degree, and this event celebrates that incredibly special accomplishment. All members of the first-gen community, including the faculty and staff that support them throughout their academic careers, are invited to celebrate each graduating class. Each graduate receives a first-gen stole to wear proudly at the university-wide commencement ceremony. It serves both as a testament to the work of the graduates, and an inspiration to younger students that a college degree is more than ‘just’ a possibility.
Philanthropic Support
Increased support and new initiatives for first-gen students are further supported through the continued generosity of gifts like the Keefe Family Student Equity and Access Fund. This fund allows first-gen students to participate in life-changing educational opportunities like studying abroad, internships, or undergraduate research.
“Education is the cornerstone of opportunity, yet too many talented, hardworking students are held back by financial obstacles,” said Gerry Keefe (A&S ’93). “The goal of this fund is to ease those burdens, empowering students to fully embrace the opportunities before them without the weight of financial concerns.”
“As a college student, a similar fund was instrumental in opening doors to career opportunities for me that would have been otherwise unobtainable. I am forever grateful to Tulane for that. My hope is that this gift will enable Tulanians to access the bright futures they deserve, regardless of their financial background.”
Giving to Newcomb-Tulane College
Your philanthropic gifts to Newcomb-Tulane College allow us to initiate significant undergraduate academic support, enhance enrichment programs, and provide the highest quality academic opportunities to all students. Your support allows us to create unique experiences for our students.
For more information about giving to NTC, contact Ryan Meck, Director of Development, at rmeck@tulane.edu
Thank You to the Dean’s
Advisory Council
Gerald F. Keefe A&S ‘93 (Co-Chair), Amy Rudnick Pasquariello NC ‘98 (Co-Chair), Paige Axelrod NC ‘89, Randy L. Broz TC ‘99, Rikki Charles, Farin Chasin Fodeman NC ‘94, George F. Fraley III A&S ‘92, Brendan V. Hayes TC ‘99, Jessica Schott Haynes, NC ‘01, B. Daniel Hazel A&S ‘96, Cadambi Janardhan, Shashi Janardhan, Mara Kaplan Kaliner NC ‘93, Brett R. Kaplan A&S ‘88, Debra A. Kissen B ‘95, Mariam Salari Korangy NC ‘96, Gregory Malik TC ‘94, Steven R. Moffitt TC ‘99, Kristin van Hook Moore, MD NC ‘96, Ali Nabavi TC ‘99, Steven A. Novenstein TC ‘94, Jeremy S. Perelman TC ‘00, Debra Polishook NC ‘83, Robert Polishook B ‘83, Lisa Ehrlich Rapkin, Dawn Zimmerman Saunders B ‘92, Julie Segall Schweitzer B ‘87, Lawrence S. Sibley A&S ‘80, Michal Shapira Sperling NC ‘95, Catherine Soltesz B ‘17, Danielle Dienert Sweeney, MD NC ‘97, M *01, Kevin Sweeney TC ‘95, Alex Tolston TC ‘03, Jeffrey L. Turner A&S ‘77, Elyse Luray Weshler NC ‘89, Marc D. Weshler, Lisa Wohlleib NC ‘88