Endless Opportunities
Bright Futures OUR COVID-19 RESPONSE
The College’s collective response and resources for student success.
NEW BEGINNING, NEW HEIGHTS NTC’s newly appointed assistant dean and executive director of career services and his vision for Tulane.
1
2
FROM THE
Dean
Normally people would be asking me at this point how my first year went, what I’ve learned and what my vision is for the future, now that I’m twelve months into my tenure as Dean. Now, however, they check themselves halfway into the question and look apologetic. But while I experienced a first year that I think I can safely say no other Tulane dean has had, first COVID-19 and Tulane’s actions to keep our community members safe and then the collective call to action spurred by the murder of George Floyd brought the values and mission of Newcomb-Tulane College into sharp focus. Physically separated from our students and faculty colleagues in mid-March, I saw more clearly than ever our core functions as NTC set our priorities for the spring semester and beyond. The urgency of meeting our students’ needs drove us to home in what we do best: help our students meet and overcome challenges to achieve academic success. The college’s units reached out to students with tools and guidance and equipped them to do well in a brand new learning environment. We collaborated with other campus departments, deepening existing connections and forging new ones, and with each other, working together more purposefully than ever.
Looking ahead, we’re planning programs and outreach that help our students engage intellectually with their faculty and fellow students and that fulfill our fundamental commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, one of the college’s pillars and the cornerstone of a principled education. We have the power and the responsibility to empower our students with the knowledge and skills they need to fight systemic racism and all forms of discrimination and make our society a truly just one. The challenges of the past year have taught me that we’re not only capable of but fully dedicated to carrying out that mission.
3
Provide a comprehensive and flexible education
Guid
Facilitate and encourage a robust academic culture on campus, inclusive of all students
NEWCOMB-
4
Home of the Undergrad
de and build a foundation for success
Create opportunities to elevate the academic experience
-TULANE COLLEGE
duate Academic Experience 5
TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURES
12
20 CREDITS
OUR COVID-19 RESPONSE Ensuring our continuity of service and staying connected with our Tulane community during a global pandemic.
NEW BEGINNINGS, NEW HEIGHTS NTC’s newly appointed assistant dean and executive director of career services is paving new paths for our program and our students.
Editor: Caitlin Harvey; Writing and Design: Trisha Torres; Photo on page 18: Justin Haber; All other photos were either submitted by the story’s subject or provided by Tulane University Communications & Marketing. 6
IN THIS ISSUE 08
LEARNING WITH NO LIMITS
09
CAREER CONNECTIONS
10
GOING GLOBAL
11
FUNDING RESEARCH
18
EMPOWERING SUCCESS
19
SUPPORTING EQUITY
23
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
24
OFF COURSE EXCELLENCE
25
BIG NEWS IN BRIEF
26
NTC BY-THE-NUMBERS
Newcomb-Tulane College
LIKE THESE STORIES? DISCOVER EVEN MORE ON OUR WEBSITE. Visit college.tulane.edu/stories-and-news to read the latest from NTC. 7
Pritika Sharma, NTC ’20, came to Tulane from India because she knew she wanted to have the academic flexibility to figure out the best way to utilize her strengths in her future career. She entered her first year intent on studying economics, but by the end of her first year she pursued her interest in human behavior and qualitative research with a major in anthropology. Undergraduate research was another priority for Sharma when looking at schools and deciding her major. As an Honors student, she was able to build strong relationships with faculty in her first year and followed the structured Honors Colloquium curriculum which prepared her to apply for grants, write proposals and talk to professors. Her Honors Thesis started as a term paper in one of her cultural anthropology classes and quickly morphed into an ethnographic study that led her back to her home country of India but to an area and aspect of the culture she had yet to be exposed to – the wedding markets. Through grants from Newcomb-Tulane College, the Honors Summer Research Program and the Newcomb Institute, Sharma was able to travel to India and spend the summer doing the field research necessary for her study on the Indian middle class and wedding industry customs in New Delhi. All this hard work has paid off. In the fall of her senior year, Sharma was able to travel to Vancouver, Canada to do a poster presentation at the American Anthropology Association conference on her research. She was one of the few undergraduate students invited to the conference. Always the planner, she used the opportunity to network and help decide her path after graduation. Sharma describes how she emailed faculty ahead of time from the list of conference attendees and gained a lot of insight into the PhD application process. “The experience helped me make the decision for the PhD commitment. The faculty I met helped with tips to apply to the PhD programs and I even met people from new institutions I hadn’t considered applying to yet.” In fall 2020, Sharma will be starting as a PhD candidate at Boston University in the sociocultural anthropology program. She credits Newcomb-Tulane College and her experience at Tulane with giving her the freedom to choose this path and work hard to achieve her goals (so far!). “I appreciate the agency given to students. It’s democratic – your education is for you, by you and around your goals. Advisors help with class choices and the way the curriculum is setup you get a chance to explore different options outside your chosen major. It’s a holistic education I’m thankful for.” ■
8
After graduation this year, Blake Berkowitz, NTC ’21, will be starting his career off at Epic as a technical solutions engineer. He will help diagnose and resolve software issues facing healthcare providers while also managing the implementation of novel technological solutions to assist with the care of patients and improve upon clinical operations. This is an exciting and challenging job for a recent grad and Berkowitz credits his early success to his time at Tulane and assistance he got from the NTC Career Services Center. Berkowitz experienced the multitude of options for students to build a professional presence through Career Services. “My first experience with Career Services began when I enrolled in the CRDV course ‘Majors, Internships, and Jobs,’ led by Geneva Torrence. This course taught me how to build upon an existing LinkedIn profile, strategically prepare for interviews, and write a polished résumé and cover letter.” Berkowitz explains. These types of one credit courses help introduce groups of students to the work they’ll need to do to prepare themselves for internships, jobs after graduation, and finding a career path. Students are also encouraged to meet one on one with advisors during their entire time at Tulane, but especially their junior and senior years. Berkowitz shares his experience working with Career Advisor and Senior Year Experience Coach Scott Cohen.
“I first met Scott before classes began my senior year, and we spent that session finalizing my résumé and cover letters. Scott brought a fresh perspective and went out of his way to address every detail he was able to find that could be improved upon. Additionally, he took the time to establish a connection with me and kept me in the loop regarding upcoming career events. And when I’d see him at these events, he’d guide me toward the tables that suited my career interests. A few weeks later, I met with him before an in-person final round interview, which I had never participated in before. Not only did he inform me on what to expect for the interview, but he also advised me on how to behave at the preinterview dinner and even what to wear to these events.”
Career Services hosts events designed to connect employers with students looking for internships and postgrad opportunities. Berkowitz sought out these events to learn more about what he could do with his skills and degree and cultivate skills he would need when meeting with prospective employers. “I attended several internship and job fairs. Since these were tailored toward college students, it was a great way to develop my networking capabilities and learn which strategies worked well and which could be improved upon. And as a result, I received an offer for an internship related to my major from one of those fairs.” NTC Career Services is expanding and growing their capabilities to assist all undergraduate students in reaching their potential and leveraging their time at Tulane. Berkowitz advises that students “take the initiative to meet with an advisor ASAP, whether it’s to finalize a résumé or discuss career plans, and follow-up with them periodically in order to develop a professional relationship.” With a new leader this year and a changing world, we could not agree more. ■
9
Gl
The backdrop to his first job post-grad was not completely unlike that of his peers. It was in an office job, balancing its fair share of slow and busy days– it just happened to be across the Atlantic Ocean, in Ukraine.
l oba
G
oing
David Woodside, NTC ’19, eagerly deployed for a two-year Peace Corps commitment shortly after receiving his diploma. His mission was to apply his dual degree in management and political economy to create public policy and bolster the economy in Blahodatne, a small town located in northwest Ukraine. Woodside felt ready for the challenge and the global transition, attributing his time with Tulane’s Altman Program.
The Altman Program in International Studies & Business is a tailored four-year program featuring cohort learning and integrating liberal arts and business disciplines. Its curriculum incorporates extensive language instruction, and two study abroad experiences. Altman Scholars, students who complete the program, graduate with two degrees - a B.A. from the School of Liberal Arts and a B.S.M. from the Freeman School of Business. As a prospective student living in Delaware, Woodside discovered the Altman program amidst his college research and officially set his sights on Tulane. New Orleans was the first of many new horizons for him. In total, his studies spanned four continents, learning in places such as Vietnam, Morocco and France. Woodside considers his extensive travel his “claim to fame” back home. In addition to his studies abroad, Woodside immersed himself in multi-cultural experiences at Tulane, involving himself in student organizations such as the Tulane Vietnamese Association. Active engagement with these diverse experiences and fostering global connections with peers are what he says aided his career transition. “I felt I adjusted very quickly to my new life,” says Woodside. “I had the skills to make new friends, learn the language, and build a new life in a new place. Maybe more so than some of my peers who didn’t have the experiences that I had.” Having mastered the mental adjustment, Woodside was able to focus his efforts on his work in his town’s settlement council. There, he concentrated primarily on community and economic development. His biggest project, and the one he feels most proud of, is a partnership with the national nonprofit Building Ukraine Together. This coming September, Building Ukraine Together members are to come to Woodside’s town and help rebuild its town square. When pondering his career beyond the Peace Corps, Woodside says he feels it would make sense for him to continue working abroad. However, should he shift to a domestic career, he knows his global perspective and experience is a unique and championed quality that sets him apart. Woodside assures that students don’t need to make a life of travel to expand their worldview as he has. Even a 10
simple trek through New Orleans can make the slightest difference. So long as an experience puts you in a new, challenging environment where you can learn more about other people, and yourself, that’s when invaluable learning happens. Opportunities for such local and global exploration in academics are readily available to NTC students. The College promotes universal learning through its core curriculum and first-year seminars. Additional opportunities also available through NTC’s Center for Global Education, which houses study abroad programming, student leadership opportunities such as the International Student Advisory Board or TUPals and hosts weekly meetups where internationally minded students and faculty to meet and bond of their shared passions. ■ Due to COVID-19, all Peace Corp operations were suspended in mid-March of 2020. All volunteers were evacuated back to the United States. The program informed its members that, in late May, they will have access to an expedited application to either re-enroll in the program with new assignments and training, or reinstatement to their original country of service. Woodside plans to reinstate and hopes to have the opportunity to return to his original position.
Funding
Research
Dr. Linda Argote, NC ‘75, knows first-hand the value of research as an undergraduate. She describes her time at Tulane earning her B.S. in psychology and writing her thesis with Dr. Edgar C. O’Neal as pivotal and credits it with her pursuit of a PhD and life-long career.
“Working on a research project with Dr. O’Neal and Dr. Peter McDonald, a graduate student in psychology at the time, led me to realize that I loved doing research and to apply to doctoral programs. I am delighted to support Dean Skinner’s vision of enhanced undergraduate research opportunities at Newcomb-Tulane College and hope that my gift will enable other students to gain valuable research experience.” This love of undergraduate research - specifically interdisciplinary research - has inspired Dr. Argote to fund the area through Newcomb-Tulane College. With her gift, Linda established the Argote-Epple Family Undergraduate Research Endowed Fund. The endowed fund will exist in perpetuity and continue to support research opportunities for students at Newcomb-Tulane College every year into the future. At Dr. Argote’s request, preference will be given to her area of passion - empirical research in the fields of psychology, organizational behavior, economics or other social or behavioral science Increasing undergraduate research is part of Dean Skinner’s vision for NTC. A new Academic Enrichment team has been formed with a renewed focus on grant funding, undergraduate research and other academic enrichment programming. This team, along with funding from donors like Dr. Argote, will encourage more students towards research or a thesis. About 100 seniors do a thesis of some kind every year and this new program will capture and support all of them. Dr. Argote graduated magna cum laude from Tulane in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science in psychology and received departmental honors. She then earned a PhD in organizational psychology from the University of Michigan in 1979. She has spent her career on the faculty of Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business; she currently serves as the Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Research. In June 2020, Dr. Argote received an honorary degree from Università della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano Switzerland. ■
11
Our COVID-19
Respon
12
nse
There’s a different kind of parade that happens on campus each spring when Mardi Gras ends. The fading reverb of jazz music and sounds of “laissez les bon temps rouler” revelry mark the semester’s midpoint. Moving in its place, and in droves similar to ornately decorated parade floats, are the term’s remaining academic commitments and opportunities. Lectures, finals exams, checkout appointments, end-of-year programming, senior celebrations, and commencement ceremonies crowd what little class time remains. The global COVID-19 pandemic, however, swiftly and silently ended this procession. It forced most people off campus as our students migrated online to finish their semester. As a result, Newcomb-Tulane College worked to assemble its units to craft a continuity plan that adapted its services and ensured the safety and support of our 8,000+ undergraduate students. The first to feel the ramifications of the COVID-19 crisis and respond were our international students and globally-focused units. Before exploding in the United States and closing Tulane’s campuses, the virus first seized China and countries across Europe. In total, there are 413 international undergraduate students. One hundred ninety-four of those students are from China, including Wuhan where the virus originated. During the initial weeks of the outbreak, these students reported that their families were quarantined or locked down at home. Compounding the emotional burden of family burdens were financial concerns, as well. Lockdown and quarantine procedures shuttered many international students’ family businesses, halting their incomes. As U.S. law prohibits international students from working, some students found themselves struggling to support themselves or provide a financial buffer for their families. Looking forward, this consequent economic crisis continues to threaten many of these students’ ability to afford or continue their Tulane education. As part of NTC’s office of Academic Affairs and the Center for Global Education, NTC’s Office of International Students & Scholars worked and continues to work tirelessly on their behalf. Many students worked through complex emotions of fear, aggravation, guilt, anxiety, and homesickness, all while trying to maintain their academic success, OISS has set up support groups, information sessions, and advocated successfully for emergency funds for these students. The transition to remote learning and request that the Tulane community move home left many international students stranded in the states. Partnering with Housing and Residence Life, OISS has worked to ensure these students had safe, healthy living spaces on campus. More importantly, OISS team members continue to work with these students as they navigate the legal aspects of remaining in the states. Ever-changing immigration rules and travel bans result in our international students requiring extensive documentation. OISS staff have continued to come into work on campus and remotely to ensure no student’s documentation fails to maintain compliance with U.S. law.
13
Also caught in COVID-19’s initial impact was NTC’s Office of Study Abroad. With its students’ mid-program at the outbreak’s beginning, OSA thoroughly followed CDC and State department guidelines to prioritize student health and safety. Initially, study abroad programs were only cancelled in China. However, on March 19 the State Department issued a Level 4 “do not travel” advisory for the entire world. Fearing that borders might close indefinitely and make flights difficult to find, Dean Skinner and OSA, in consultation with Provost Robin Forman, made the agonizing decision to cancel all study abroad programs and bring home all students. These students’ safe and secure return would not have been possible without OSA staff, who worked through the night over one full weekend to make it possible. They also collaborated with program providers and partner universities to ensure these students earn their well-deserved course credit. Virtual learning with these institutions will guarantee course continuity. NTC regrets, of course, that these students’ study abroad experience was interrupted but is grateful that these students are able to continue in their progress toward graduation and that they are safe. In accordance with State Department guidelines, NTC also made the decision to cancel all summer and fall study abroad programs for 2020. Synchronous with these immediate needs abroad being addressed, NTC worked to prepare the university’s shift to remote learning. “Our main priority is always the academic success of our students,” says NTC Dean Lee Skinner. “We focused on ensuring that our students had what they needed to be successful as remote learners and members of the Tulane community.” To ensure student success, NTC first had to ensure staff ’s success, preparing them to move online in just a week’s time. With the help of IT and the NTC Operations team, all NTC team members were set up with equipment and access to work remotely, including laptops, Zoom, VPN, and remote system access. Virtual phone access was set up where departments needed it. Team members volunteered to pick up mail on campus and send that information electronically. Effective information sharing was key. Team members had to create a pipeline of information sharing to kept things running smoothly. A Microsoft Teams page for all NTC staff was created to share information and offer personal support. Each Senior Associate Dean developed virtual work plans with their areas that took into account evolving work schedules 14
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
ANNIE GIBSON STUDY ABROAD Annie Gibson, director of study abroad, worked tirelessly to make sure our students studying abroad this spring were, first and foremost, safe. She led the OSA team to get accurate information to students and their parents quickly and to work with each student who was affected. As programs went online and students needed to come home, Gibson worked with students around the world to make sure they could get flights out even as travel options were increasingly cut off. The situation changed quickly and Gibson and her team went from managing applications for fall study abroad to helping students whose dreams to study abroad were dashed. She also made sure to communicate with the students planning to study abroad in the fall as things were changing and oversaw the updating of the OSA website with the most current information.
for employees with childcare needs and support those with COVIDrelated personal or medical situations. Senior Leadership also instituted a twice weekly team call and weekly managers call within the college for information sharing, questions, idea sharing, and feedback.
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
NTC offices that engage directly with students were transitioned online immediately to ensure continuous service. Many units such as success coaching, career coaching, and academic advising had elements of virtual access pre-COVID, utilizing online platforms. However, to meet the surge online, many of these units had to revamp their remote procedures. One example of this rapid-paced adaptation is the NTC advising team, led by Senior Associate Dean Amjad Ayoubi. All academic and pre-professional advising appointments switched to online delivery via Zoom beginning on Monday, March 16. By Friday, March 20, all advising services including Advisor of the Day and their 30+ forms and petition processes were moved from being paper based to dynamic digital forms and online workflows. This large-scale overhaul came prior to the start of one of their team’s most demanding campus events – Honors Weekend. Falling mid-March each year, this is a prospective Honors student’s chance to explore campus, meet professors, identify potential involvement opportunities, and register early for classes. Since it was one of the first large-scale campus events moved online, the Honors Program staff worked with admissions to immediately convert on-campus activities into virtual sessions. Advisors then worked with these students in attendance and assist them in scheduling remotely. NTC advisors also had to field the many questions students hurled at them during their fall scheduling and senior check-out appointments. To find answers, they had to wade through fluid academic calendar deadlines, a temporarily administered “Pass/Minimal Pass/Unsatisfactory” grading scheme, registration policy changes, the exponential growth in both incoming and continuing students’ interest in new online summer school courses, as well as the announcement of the new VirTUal Tulane program for the 2021 incoming Spring Scholars cohort. In total, NTC advisors conducted 4,450 meetings this spring. When comparing last year’s meeting statistics from the same period, that is a six percent increase. Pre-professional advising meetings also rose 54 percent compared to last year, with 757 students scheduling appointments. Additionally, the team effectively certified more than 1,700 degrees for our Spring 2020 graduates. In addition to student services, several NTC offices run their own courses. The faculty who were teaching courses through the Honors Program, Career Development, Naval/Army/Air Force ROTC, and English for Academic & Professional Purposes all had to move to remote learning, and NTC staff helped as much as possible. English for Academic and Professional Purposes also quickly redesigned its summer language program for many incoming first-year international students so they can provide this instruction online.
SARA KENT SUCCESS COACHING Sara Kent, program manager for Success Wave, stepped up and led the effort to field concerns from students having difficulty with their online classes and to identify innovative and effective solutions. These solutions included a wide scope from finding technology support through loaner laptops and internet hotspots in a student’s home city to contacting a faculty member on behalf of a student experiencing internet issues or requiring accommodations. Kent coordinated a small team that managed the resolutions of over 600 alerts. Kent herself made contact with more than150 students and faculty members. With very little direction, Kent made the transition to this role immediately and proved to be a highly effective leader and dedicated advocate for students and their academic success.
15
Transitioning to remote learning poses a new, unique set of challenges for students. NTC and many campus partners committed to working together to ensure students had a network of academic and emotional support online. The Center for Academic Equity immediately understood that the announcement about remote learning would have disparate impacts. Some students would have difficulty moving out and returning home. Others rely on campus resources, notably computers labs and the library, to complete assignments, and would not have access to a personal computer or WIFI at home. The variety of home-life situations in which students live mean that students’ abilities to continue their coursework would be more challenging for some than others. To ensure these students have the resources necessary to complete their semester, CAE worked with Student Affairs and Information Technology to help provide emergency funds and technology for students’ academic needs. CAE staff and its affiliate mentors continue to stay in touch with some of Tulane’s most vulnerable students to ensure they are continuing to make successful academic progress in these challenging times. NTC also launched an online student support team to work on behalf of students. In an effort to look holistically at their potential needs, this initiative evolved into a cross-departmental group led by Senior Associate Dean Kelly Grant, that includes success coaching, The Goldman Center for Disability Services, academic advising, Tulane’s Innovative Learning Center, Center for Teaching Excellence, the Academic Learning and Tutoring Center, Information Technology, NTC Communications, and Case Management. Identifying immediate challenges students and faculty may face when transitioning to the new online environment, the online student support team then designed and delivered toolkits with resources to these affected parties. For students, the Virtual Learning Student Support Webpage was created. This page detailed academic support resources, offered advice for easing into this transition, and was continuously updated over time to meet new or anticipated needs. Additional email and phone outreach were implemented to steer students who may be in need of services such as case management, success coaching, peer tutoring or career coaching due to the online transition. Success coaches also took on extra work, filing academic alerts on behalf of students having difficulty with their online courses. For faculty, an email campaign was launched; connecting them with the university’s Teach Anywhere toolkit and addressing concerns for factors such as technology, recordings, meeting times, and time zones. Students and faculty were able to give feedback on these resources and raise concerns regarding a courses’ progress through an Online Course Concern reporting form the online student support team generated. Submissions were reviewed by team members and responded to promptly with quick problem-solving and real-time innovative resolutions. Also included in this web of support was final exam resources. Switching to online delivery immediately with supplemental instruction, the ALTC’s online tutoring continued via GoBoard and Zoom. The Success Coaching Team’s Peer Success Leaders held “Ask a PSL” hours, giving classmates the opportunity to Zoom in with questions for final exam preparation. In the week prior to exams, the ALTC and success coaches worked together with other on-campus partners such as Campus Health and Information Technology to host their Study Hall program. At Study Hall, students usually join the Student Success team for free snacks, free Blue Books, scantrons, and study supplies. The team reserves rooms for students to work in where ALTC content tutors, 16
Peer Success Leaders, Success Coaches are available on-site to answer quick questions regarding prep and course material. Adapting to being off-campus and online, the Student Success team worked with IT on creating one Zoom meeting location for the event. When students entered the virtual space, they could enter breakout rooms that connected them with support resources. Added to this semester’s support roster, Campus Health representatives with wellness resources and IT representatives for questions about taking online exams. With so much lost as a result of students’ premature campus departure, NTC also prioritized student engagement. NTC wanted students to continue to connect with peers and faculty to remain tapped into the Tulane community. Pre-scheduled programs and initiatives were revamped for online and new programs were forged for students. “Tulane has a rich, rewarding academic environment,” says Dean Lee Skinner. “Keeping that going in the online space means our students still get to enjoy some of their favorite parts of learning and working at Tulane.” Small touchpoints for meaningful engagement such as faculty office hours were easily moved online. The College’s large-scale and celebratory programs, however, required more innovation to maintain impact. As students who write honors theses devote an extraordinary amount of time and effort to developing their research before and throughout their senior year, the Honors Program’s Honor Thesis Forum was moved online. Some senior students presented together in a live-via-Zoom panel format while others prerecorded their presentation. These videos were then compiled on the Honors Program website for the Tulane community to celebrate this milestone to graduation. The 2020 NTC Senior Awards Ceremony was adapted to be an online ceremony with recipients being notified via email that they had been recognized and were invited to gather their household or forward their invite to family and friends to share in watching. Dean Lee Skinner, deans from the College’s five schools, and other department leaders provided students words of encouragement and congratulations as names and awards were read. New ways to engage with NTC staff were also forged in the switch. The NTC Career Services team launched the Career Chats program to alleviate student concerns with finding career opportunities amidst COVID-19. These weekly sessions are formatted similar to an Instagram Live event, allowing users to stream a video feed and engage in real-time through commenting. The interaction resembles a roundtable discussion where student attendees submitted questions drive the conversation’s direction. The first three Career Chats have engaged close to 100 students, and sessions will be available throughout the summer. Without the regular summer opportunities such as study abroad and in-person research or internships, many students opted to further their education. All 2020 summer school courses were moved online, making it possible for students to work towards their degree or pursue other academic interests from anywhere. Upon the switch to remote learning for summer, over 50 courses/sections were added. Undergraduate enrollment for summer school more than doubled from 1,200 to 2,677 at present and continues to increase. Part of that enrollment were several former Tulane students, several former Tulane students who were a few credits shy of graduating. These students reported that the online format is allowing them to complete the requirements for their degrees in a very convenient manner. To ensure this swell of courses is designed to be an interactive, engaging remote learning experience, there was a high participation rate for NTC’s Summer School faculty in the formation and teaching methods for the Online Teacher Training through CELT and Innovative Learning Center. Fall 2020 is still uncertain. In anticipation for a tech enhanced learning model that incorporates social distancing practices in the classroom and continued online learning, NTC units have refocused their work on strengthening their tools and support resources for students. Nonetheless, NTC looks forward to welcoming back its students with carnival-like fervor. As the university continues to adapt its policies to prioritize campus health and safety, hopefully we all can readopt our preferred masks in time for the next Mardi Gras season. ■ 17
Like most of her peers in the incoming class of 2015, Ilana Seidl fell for Tulane. That emotional tumble, however, was quickly followed by a real-life fall. Early in her first semester, Seidl tripped on a jagged sidewalk outside of campus and tore a ligament in her foot. The injury required surgery and a three-month recovery period with no walking. Feeling this was no way to start college, Seidl took a leave of absence from the university. Returning to campus the following year, she praises Newcomb-Tulane College’s Success Coaching program as being “one of the best things Tulane has” in preparing her comeback and setting her up for success. “Anyone can use coaching,” says Seidl. “The most successful people in the world hire coaches and have people that help them reach levels of success. It has nothing to do with needing extra help in a negative way.” Partnering with Success Coach Kimberly Charlesworth, Seidl says she used their meetings to develop her personal management style. The pair focused on her ability to break larger projects into smaller, more actionable goals, which gave her the confidence in tackling her work and encouraged her to be more flexible in her high expectations for herself. She also used her sessions to explore her academic interests, plunging into the idea of learning computer science. Seidl did not believe herself qualified to pursue the subject despite her persisting curiosity. Conversations with Charlesworth, however, paired with the academic skills she was developing in coaching, changed her perspective. “It’s just working hard and not what my math grades were in high school,” says Seidl. “That’s not really what will dictate my success…just sticking through it and continuing.” With that in mind, Seidl signed up for her first computer science class her second semester back at Tulane. Now, she’s a senior double majoring in psychology and computer science. Seidl continues to apply her coaching-developed workflow as a teaching assistant for the computer science department and when working on The Root; a weekly, female-focused financial newsletter she co-founded with 2,000+ subscribers. When looking forward to life beyond Tulane, Seidl hopes to combine her interests in the financial tech field. She wants to further develop financial management tools and make them more user friendly to eliminate barriers to investing, money management, and education. Seidl feels this work aligns with the “New Orleans and Tulane culture, of friendliness, caring for others, and being aware of those around [her].” “I became an adult in New Orleans and at Tulane,” says Seidl. “What I expect out of the rest of my life will be shaped by that experience.” ■ 18
The NTC Center for Academic Equity has been growing every year since it launched in 2016. This small team does some of the most critical work on campus – ensuring all students, especially those traditionally under represented, get access to the valuable education and enrichment experiences Tulane offers. Kennon Stewart, NTC ’20, a mathematics and sociology major, credits the CAE with supporting him throughout his time at Tulane as well as providing a space for him to excel, do research and learn more about himself and his future goals. “For underrepresented populations at Tulane, the CAE is what keeps students at college. As a queer, first-generation college student of color there’s a lot of things I didn’t know about Tulane coming into the school. I didn’t have a network of students to connect with immediately, nor was I familiar with the way classes worked. The Center instructs students on how to make the most of their four years and gives them the resources to do so. I can honestly say that, if there were no CAE at this school, I wouldn’t have made it through my four years at Tulane.” Stewart says. Research is a valuable experience for undergraduates. It teaches skills that can be used across industries and careers. It can also feel intimidating to a lot of students. The Center removes some of the barriers students may face by connecting students with opportunities, providing resources, and hosting a platform for them to share their hard work with peers and the entire campus community through the IDEA Symposium. Stewart was a research scholar during the second half of his time at Tulane. “I was a Research Fellow with the Center for two years researching policies bettering the experience of undocumented Tulanians and presenting my research at the Idea Symposium. My laptop actually broke while I was working in the Center one day and Dr. Paula Booke was able to get me a new one, allowing me to be able to continue my work in college.” Newcomb-Tulane College doesn’t just want our students to learn in New Orleans but to gain a global perspective. Each year the Center for Global Education funds a study abroad trip called Race and Performance in Brazil. Stewart and a cohort of nine other students traveled to Brazil to study the expression of racial identity in Rio de Janeiro and Salvador de Bahia. “We were able to spend two weeks learning Portuguese, engaging with the Afro-Brazilians communities in Brazil, and even went to a community dance gathering where we danced samba with some of the spriest senior citizens I’d ever met.” says Stewart. “Since we traveled with Ms. Carolyn Barber-Pierre, who is so well connected with the Brazilian community in New Orleans, we were able to gain a much deeper appreciation for the country and the people living there.” The team at CAE is small but they forge impactful connections with students. They aren’t just programming specialists and supportive staff - they become mentors and friends. Stewart recalls his first crawfish boil on campus: “Ms. Paula Allen, the Center’s administrative secretary, is one of my favorite people on campus. There was once a crawfish boil on campus and Ms. Paula sat with me and showed me how to peel my first crawfish! I’m happy to say that I’ve moved onto crabs, oysters, and other Cajun seafoods.” Stewart aspires to work in data science after graduation and is actively seeking opportunites to apply his talents 19 after his initial job offer was rescinded due to COVID-19. ■
The Newcomb-Tulane College’s Career Services team is looking to turn the page. Résumé paper preferred. In January 2020, NTC welcomed Edward “Eddy” Cruz as assistant dean and executive director of NTC career services. Since his arrival, he and career team members have been working diligently to lay a new, stronger foundation for student support. Their intent – to reimagine what career services can be at Tulane. Cruz comes to the university with over 10 years of professional-level experience in career services. His most recent role was the Director of Career Education at the University of Miami Toppel Career Center. In addition, Cruz carries insight amassed from preceding higher education positions. While working on his master’s degree in student affairs in higher education at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (’04-’06), Cruz served as a career services graduate assistant. In this role, his work focused on the university’s testing center and its programs that aided students in transitioning to graduate level learning (ex: LSAT or MCAT testing prep). Outside of the testing center responsibilities, Cruz also ran a practice interview program that partnered with various schools and colleges on the campus that served over 700 students annually. Following that, Cruz worked on staff as a residence hall director at the University of Georgia (’06-’08), where he ran two first-year student buildings that housed over 300 students. His passion, however, remained with career development. Cruz cites working with students one-on-one, meeting them where they are in their career journey, helping them take ownership of their experience, and preparing them for their next steps and beyond as the most fulfilling aspects of his job. He enjoys tackling perceived challenges to help others find continued success. “Tulane is fortunate to have Eddy,” says NTC Senior Associate Dean of Advising Amjad Ayoubi. “He brings his extensive knowledge and experience in the field to serve our students, employers and the entire Tulane Community. Eddy is committed to providing world class services based on the latest best practices.” Cruz’s first six months with Tulane have come with no shortage of challenges that require his expertise and innovation. With this new role, Cruz has aspirations for a long-term strategic plan for NTC career services and of uniting Tulane’s Career Council, the career teams outside NTC that service specific student populations (ex: business, public health, architecture), to form a holistic vision. Cruz’s plans also focus on data collection and driving messaging that career services should be a routine, rather than a transactional service. “Our goal is not just to help them find their first job out of school,” says Cruz. “It’s the education pieces as well. How to do this for a lifetime. Not just their first destination.” Before he and the NTC career team could hit the ground running with these initiatives or incorporate new ideas, he first had to work with them to ensure their basic needs were being met and basic functions executed. This included fully staffing the team, which has been under or only half-staffed for almost two years. 20
New Be
Ne
eginnings,
ew Heights 21
New members have and will continue to join the career team this summer. Their backgrounds span industries from entrepreneurship, leadership development within higher education, and television production. Cruz asserts that these unique insights will foster new, creative ideas essential in tackling his original goals and another unforeseen challenge – COVID-19. During a time of limited contact, the more traditional means of connecting with career opportunities are unavailable. Temporarily stalled are in-person career consultations, handshakes, and the ballroom-sized career fairs that students are used to. Not only did Cruz and his team have to find solutions to this sudden and major hitch in programming and services, but they also had to confront the reality that some students’ internships had been cancelled or moved to remote work. Continuity of service and student support being the upmost priority for NTC, meetings between students, career coaches, and campus recruiters were quickly shifted to Zoom. Feedback for this virtual shift has been somewhat surprising, says Cruz. Some students and career coaches have shared they found their online appointments to be more efficient and engaging, now that waiting room times and treks across campus have been eliminated. Employers are also finding benefits to the switch. They’re saving time, rather than hopping flights, and money, originally allocated for travel. These are two major, invaluable resources that can be poured back into finding new ways to engage with Tulane students. Cruz and his team have also focused their messaging on reassuring students that they are not alone, and career development and exploration is still possible. “I think one of the biggest questions employers will have coming out of this is ‘What have you done with that time?’ or ‘What did you do?,’” says Cruz. “They’re going to see what students were able to teach themselves or were able to gain skills…that they can now offer that employer.” Cruz encourages students to look at ways to develop career skills that may not be as sharp, or that they need to keep sharp to maintain success in their industry. He also says to explore opportunities, even if it means taking on leadership or positions that do not align with their original career plan. Connecting with NTC Career Services or any member of the Tulane Career Council or exploring Tulane’s Handshake job platform are strong first steps in getting started and locating resources or opportunities. Looking to the fall and what could be the start of this new chapter for career services at Tulane, Cruz is focused on continuing accessibility for students and employers. Melding his initial plans, new insights, new recruiting strategy, and new resources adopted to combat COVID-19 can rewrite what is possible for our university and its students. ■ 22
The Newcomb-Tulane College undergraduate student experience is enhanced with critical and impactful learning opportunities outside of the classroom, enrichment opportunities strengthen student learning. A multitude of grants, student leadership positions, study abroad programs, the Honors program, as well as faculty who lead their fields in research. NTC challenges all students to broaden the scope of their work to foster unique perspectives and create a diverse, distinguished portfolio. Some students who have risen to the challenge, like Skylar Deckoff-Jones (NTC ’16), have garnered national recognition for their academic efforts. Deckoff-Jones, an NTC Honors Program alumnus and physics major now pursuing a Ph.D. in the subject at MIT, was awarded three prestigious national awards during his Tulane career. In his sophomore year, Deckoff-Jones was named a 2013-2014 Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholar. The congressionally funded Gilman Scholarship Program enables students who may be unable to study abroad due to financial constraints the opportunity to pursue interests deemed important to national security. Traveling to Okinawa, Japan, Deckoff-Jones completed research through the NanoJapan Program. This is a 12-week summer research internship focusing on Terahertz (THz) Dynamics in Nanostructures. Deckoff-Jones’s lab work focused on the optical properties of 2D materials, which he says is not far off from his current research at MIT. The inlab experience was so powerful, Deckoff-Jones’s decided to take a leave of absence for a semester to continue his work for the spring semester of his junior year. “This experience was really what cemented my love of research and my desire to pursue a Ph.D.,” says DeckoffJones. In 2014, he was also named a Barry Goldwater Scholar, a recognition considered the oldest and most prestigious national scholarship for the natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering field in the United States. This award supports sophomore and junior students deemed to be the next generation’s rising leader in their chosen field. Upon completing his studies at Tulane, Deckoff-Jones was also named a 2016 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. Bolstering the success of those who desire to pursue a research-based master’s or doctoral degree in STEM fields, the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program provides three years of research funding amounting to $34,000, as well as a cost of education allowance. Much of the groundwork for Deckoff-Jones’s success was laid in his first few years as a Tulane student. Spurring his interest in research, Deckoff-Jones worked with NTC’s Honors Program the summer after his freshman year as a member of the Honors Summer Research Program. “It was one of my first experiences where I was able to learn what the life of a research scientist is like,” says Deckoff-Jones. “I didn’t only learn a lot that summer, but it put me in a position to continue research throughout my four years at Tulane.” ■ 23
o urse C f f O
l l e e nce c x E
Students have numerous demands on their time throughout their semester, beyond academics. Our student athletes are in a unique situation – they have not only committed their intellectual abilities to Tulane but their athletic abilities as well. The NTC Academic Services for Student Athletes team is in place to ensure their unique needs are met and that they succeed academically and build community.
Haydyn Gibson, NTC ’20, played on the Women’s Golf team during her time at Tulane. She was assigned an Athletic Academic Counselor, Meredith Krall, who worked to ensure her class schedule not only met her needs for graduation and future goals but would work well with her golf tournament and travel schedule. She monitored her grades and stepped in if any issues came up. Gibson says “She is someone who bettered my Tulane experience and always helped me choose the best path.” Meredith says “I am so proud of Haydyn! Her positive attitude and willingness to learn made my job easy to do. I know she is going to do great things in the future” The Wilson Center plays a huge role in the lives of our student athletes. Its location close to the practice and game facilities encourages students to engage in tutoring services, take advantage of study spaces and computer labs and meet with their counselors. Student athletes need this extra support but they also need to learn to build their own skills. Gibson says “To balance traveling and studying, student-athletes must designate time for their studies. Whenever we were away for a tournament, I stuck to my homework and studying schedule as much as possible. Thankfully during my time at Tulane, many professors were very helpful in letting me know the lecture plans for the days I would miss and were available for office hours if I had any questions. Time management is an extremely important skill to balance travel and studying.” After graduating with her degree in sociology this year, Gibson is moving to Indianapolis, Indiana to begin an internship at the National Collegiate Athletic Association. She is “extremely excited for this opportunity to work at the headquarters of the NCAA” and hopes “to use this internship to fine tune my knowledge of intercollegiate sports and help shape me to become a future leader within an athletic department.” Gibson summarizes how her experience at Tulane has shaped her future. “My experience as a student-athlete has shown me the ever-evolving life of college athletics and opportunities that sports can give someone. Some of my student-athlete peers will turn professional while others will find success within their careers. Each person I have met during my time as a student-athlete has chosen a different path but each one has used the skills they developed to become successful. Working closely with student-athletes and athletic administrators made me decide to pursue a career within college athletics. The administrators at Tulane were an inspiration for me. I hope one day to serve as a role model to future student-athletes.” ■ 24
Big News in Brief
CENTER FOR ACADEMIC EQUITY NAMES NEW DIRECTOR
After a national search, the College found the best candidate for the role of CAE Director within NTC – Dr. Paula Booke. Previously, Paula worked as CAE’s Associate Director and the Director of the Newcomb-Tulane Summer Experience at Tulane University. She created the Proud TU Be First First-Generation College Initiative, Summer Fellowships and Grants program, Equity Thursdays, the Scholarship Search program and numerous other initiatives and programming for BIPOC students, first-generation scholars, LGBTQ+ identifying students, and DACA- and undocumented students. Paula will start her full-time responsibilities as Director of the Center on July 1. NTC STAFF MEMBER RECIEVES PRESIDENT’S STAFF EXCELLENCE AWARD Jan Pereira was celebrated for her tireless work on the Career Services team, encouraging and guiding students through the career planning process. She received the President’s Staff Excellence Award in December 2019. NTC ALUMNA AWARDED GEORGE C. MARSHALL SCHOLARSHIP Praveena Fernes, NTC ‘18, has been awarded the George C. Marshall Scholarship for graduate study in the United Kingdom. She is Tulane’s 24th Marshall Scholar. At Tulane, Praveena was a member of the Honors Program, inducted into the prestigious Peery Society, awarded the Community Service Fellowship Scholarship, the Presidential Scholarship, and was a US Student Fulbright Grant recipient.
DEAN’S ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBER DON E. ROTHMAN ESTABLISHES FUND FOR FIRST YEAR PROGRAMMING In May 2019 Don E. Rothman, A&S ‘79 committed $100,000 to establish the Don and Christine Rothman Fund to be used for First-Year experience programs at NTC, and to support the transition of first-year students at Tulane. So far, the focus has been placed on engaging faculty with the student experience. The goal is for faculty to interact with students on topics outside of the classroom through shared experiences to strengthen their Tulane connections. NTC ADVISOR WINS STUDENT GOVERNMENT’S OUTSTANDING STAFF MEMBER AWARD Academic Advisor Aloysius Cunningham won Student Government’s John Stibbs Award for Outstanding Staff Member. The award is given to a staff member who fosters meaningful connections with students.
DEAN’S ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBER BRENDAN V. HAYES CONTRIBUTES TO THE EIGHT DIMENSIONS OF WELLNESS Brendan Hayes (TC ‘99) and his wife, Ainsley, pledged $100,000 to NTC in November of 2019. This gift establishes the Success Wave Fund, a non-endowed fund at NTC to support students’ education and skill building in the 8 dimensions of wellness, which include: emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, and spiritual. Through a series of workshops, guest speakers, and mini-retreats offered through NTC’s units and in partnership with academic and career advising, as well as campus health services, students will have opportunities to learn and grow in each of these areas throughout their undergraduate education. Newcomb-Tulane College
FOLLOW NTC ON SOCIAL MEDIA FOR MORE BIG NEWS IN BRIEF Newcomb-Tulane College @newcombtulanecollege @newcombtulanecollege
25
NEWCOMB-TULANE COLLEGE
BY THE NUMBERS SUCCESS COACHING
772 127 20+ 2,861 18,135 2,598 3.405 146 461 1,695 530 715 $1,560,070 105 HONORS
THESES PRODUCED
ROTC
STUDENTS RECIEVED SUCCESS COACHING
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
GRANTS AWARDED TO STUDENTS TOTALING
$74,495.60
STUDENTS COMMISSIONED INTO THE MILITARY
ADVISING
CAREER SERVICES
CAREER ADVSING APPOINTMENTS
SUMMER SCHOOL
TOTAL ACADEMIC ADVISING APPOINTMENTS
UNDERGRAD ENROLLMENTS IN SUMMER COURSES
FIRST-YEAR-EXPERIENCE
AVERAGE STUDENT ATHLETE GPA
EQUITY
STUDENTS ENGAGED IN IN-PERSON CAE PROGRAMMING
GLOBAL EDUCATION
STUDENTS STUDIED ABROAD WITH NTC OSA
26
FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS EARNED A 4.0 DURING THEIR FIRST SEMESTER IN COLLEGE
ACADEMIC LEARNING & TUTORING CENTER
TUTORING APPOINTMENTS WRITING APPOINTMENTS
DEVELOPMENT
OF PHILANTHROPIC SUPPORT FROM 587 DONORS
DEAN’S ADVISORY COUNCIL Ms. Karen Roskind Sobel NC ‘89, Chair
Ms. Annabelle L. Brody LA ‘18 Mr. Randall L. Broz TC ‘99 Mr. A. J. Cass, III A&S ‘88 Mr. Marc D. Frishman A&S ‘91 Mr. Brendan V. Hayes TC ‘99 Mr. B. Daniel Hazel A&S ‘96 Mr. Scott G. Intagliata A&S ‘83 Mr. Cadambi Janardhan Mrs. Shashi Janardhan Mr. Joseph S. Kaplan Mr. Scott A. Katzmann A&S ‘77 Mr. Gerald F. Keefe A&S ‘93 Mr. Stuart R. Klabin A&S ‘53 Mr. Andrew M. Klein A&S ‘91 Mrs. Mariam Salari Korangy NC ‘96 Steven D. Kushnick, M.D. A&S ‘83, M *87 Mr. Chad R. Ludwig TC ‘98 Ms. Molly Wiemann Ludwig NC ‘98 Mr. Howard J. Margolis B ‘87 Mr. Steven R. Moffitt TC ‘99 Mr. Ali Nabavi TC ‘99 Ms. Amy Rudnick Pasquariello NC ‘98 Mr. Jeremy S. Perelman TC ‘00 Ms. Debra Polishook NC ‘83 Mr. Robert Polishook B ‘83 Ms. Lisa Ehrlich Rapkin Mrs. Nancy Goldstein Rebold NC ‘88 Ms. Michelle Rosenbaum Mr. John T. Rossi G *78 Mr. Donald E. Rothman A&S ‘79 Ms. Dawn Zimmerman Saunders B ‘92 Ms. Lori Rhodes Seigal NC ‘91 Mr. Scott A. Seigal A&S ‘89 Mr. Lawrence S. Sibley A&S ‘80 Mr. David A. Titlebaum A&S ‘87 Mr. Jeffrey L. Turner A&S ‘77 Ms. Elyse Luray Weshler NC ‘89 27
Newcomb-Tulane College 28