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jmikowski



Joined: 09 Dec 2005
Posts: 121

PostPosted: Sat Dec 10, 2005 5:13 pm    Post subject: Save Tulane Engineering Reply with quote

*Please pledge your support for Tulane engineering via e-mail, SaveTulaneEngineering@gmail.com

Let me first say that I respect Dr. Cowen. He truly cares about Tulane’s future. Unfortunately, I disagree with the way our University has chosen to deal with the financial problems brought about by Hurricane Katrina. President Cowen should have spoken to Dr. Altiero, Dean of Engineering, before making the decision to effectively cut our entire department. The autocracy of Dr. Cowen’s team has vastly overstepped its bounds. Eliminating the School of Engineering undermines our efforts to renew Tulane University and the city of New Orleans.

I speak for all Engineers affected by this most troubling announcement by saying, “This will not stand.” As a Computer Engineering junior, I will be among the last EECS majors to graduate from Tulane University. The shortsighted choices presented in this plan not only affect the School of Engineering, but also weaken the foundation of our entire University. We are obliged to act. To start, sign the petition, which shows your continued support of Engineering in New Orleans. http://www.petitiononline.com/savetula/. Second, email your respective Dean and President Cowen (scowen@tulane.edu). Lastly check our website. SaveTulaneEngineering.org. We will have this website up and running by 12/10/05 at noon. It will include all relevant information pertaining to these actions. Biomedical, Mechanical, Civil, Chemical, Environmental, Electrical ,Computer Science, and Computer Engineering students are the most intelligent and diligent students in the most respected disciplines at Tulane. We refuse to be helpless victims of this storm of rash action and irresponsibility. Tulane is more than just a school, it’s our school; we must preserve the past, present, and future of the city we all call home.

We are not alone. Speaking with current students and prestigious alumni; it is clear this is the worst possible solution to our current problems. Tulane is THE future of New Orleans. To rebuild our city we need our Engineers; ALL of our Engineers. Such a reckless act hinders our efforts for New Orleans. Tulane’s student body is committed to the Crescent City, willing to do whatever it takes. Abolishing the entire Engineering department is no way to secure an academic, civic, or financial future for the Tulane community.

Through our ingenuity, Tulane Engineers will enable our leaders to reinvent Tulane, without the loss of its most important institution. If you, or anyone else have statistics regarding Engineering at Tulane such as per capita earnings, grant numbers, donation numbers, or scholarship recipients please let me now. We, Mary McCarty (Biomedical), Laura Wells (Biomedical), Shawn Sarwar (Biomedical), Justin Mikowski (Computer Engineering) and Will Clarkson (Computer Engineering), are spearheading an initiative to save our school. But we can’t do this ourselves. Please pledge your support via e-mail at SaveTulaneEngineering@gmail.com. We will do our best to keep you informed of every way that you can help us in supporting our majors, our passions, our College and our futures.
Tulane Computer Engineering Junior,
Will Clarkson

Contact Information:
Scott Cowen President of Tulane University scowen@tulane.edu
Cynthia Cherrey V.P. Student Affairs, Dean of Students ccherrey@tulane.edu
Nicholas J. Altiero Dean of Engineering altiero@tulane.edu
George L. Bernstein Dean of Tulane College gbernst@tulane.edu
Cynthia J. Lowenthal Dean of Newcomb College lowenth@tulane.edu
Angelo S. DeNisi Dean of Business adenisi@tulane.edu
Reed Kroloff Dean of Architecture rkroloff@tulane.edu
Richard Marksbury Dean of University College rmarksby@tulane.edu

*edit: Added Chemical Engineering (I apologize, I cannot believe we neglected ya’ll. My deepest apologies)

28 Responses to “Save Tulane Engineering”

1. Chris Storey Says:
December 9th, 2005 at 11:08 am
Hello,
I am a Tulane Graduate who is appalled at the dissolution of certain engineering programs. Tulane had a top engineering program and that where most of the cuts came from. I am a Tulane School of Engineering Graduate who returned during the wake of Katrina to lend my emergency medical skills to those in need. I have some points to consider for why the engineering should be conserved.
1) Levee Failures, Massive restructuring of coastal waterways, and wetlands replacement project.
a) There will large amounts of government funding for these projects, which will probably require a collaborative effort from schools. What other Civil Engineering Department in the world could claim to have these projects at their disposal? None
b) Projects of this scale will also require machines of large scale. The Mechanical engineering department could help develop new technologies for such projects. More Funding
2) New Orleans will be the first Metropolitan area to provide free wireless access. The EECS department of Tulane could take advantage of this opportunity in developing means for better fail-safe and emergency operations of such conditions arise again. In addition, the massive loss of the power grid of New Orleans provides opportunity for electrical engineers to provide new solutions by not only burying wires, but also developing new technologies for substations that would make them less prone to flood damage.
I believe that this area would not be a burden on Tulane’s budget if focused on this disaster related areas. With appropriate grant funding the majority of faculty income should be able to supplemented, therefore, the programs should somewhat be self-supporting. I, also, believe this will allow students to get hands on experience and provide them a method of community service where the skills they learn from Tulane directly apply.
The restructuring and media allow an opportune time to tie in with businesses nationwide and locally. This will provide businesses with their name as a partner in the rebuilding effort of one of America’s top universities. Tulane could therefore develop co-opportunity Programs that would allow the businesses to pay students way instead of University funds.
Thank you for your time,
Chris Storey

2. Chris Storey Says:
December 9th, 2005 at 11:22 am
Here is the PDF copy of my letter http://www.latech.edu/bmeday/Save_Engineering_Letter.pdf

3. Stephen Segari Says:
December 9th, 2005 at 11:25 am
Such a terrible decision… Let’s do any and everything we can, even though it may fall upon deaf ears.

4. Max Hetzer Says:

December 9th, 2005 at 11:35 am
I believe that you have left out Chemical Engineers. We are all part of the same Engineering family and I feel that leaving Chemical Engineering out of this newsletter is somewhat of an insult to one sixth of your support group.
I am sure that I speak for a majority of Chemical Engineering students when I say that the action of Scott Coven and the administration oversteps the boundry of all reason. Eliminating all but two Engineering programs in this univeristy will radically cut the number of scientific insights that come from our school.
Currently we are all stunned by this announcement, but if there something to be done about this situation, I have faith in Dean Altero and the Engineering student body to find the way.
Sincerely,
Max Hetzer.

5. Administrator Says:
December 9th, 2005 at 12:13 pm
Chemical Engineering has been added. I apologize for the oversight. At 5am, I must have missed that key engineering discipline. Thank you for pointing it out. My deepest apologies.

6. Jonathan H. Dendy Says:
December 9th, 2005 at 12:28 pm
Does anyone know exactly why these programs have been cut? Not the blanket reason of Katrina, or the BS about “world class” or possibly world class, since these engineering programs fit that description. I’m talking the financial reasons, political reasons, etc. I mean did our rep miss the meeting or something, or did we just not have one?

7. Jerry Says:
December 9th, 2005 at 12:29 pm
I suggest that everyone write to Mayor Nagin as well. In my opinion, this is a big blow to his efforts to reinvigorate New Orleans’ economy.
http://www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx?portal=1&load=~/SystemModules/ContactUs.ascx&contacttype=message&contactid=207

8. Arman Sadeghpour Says:
December 9th, 2005 at 12:39 pm
Dear All,
I am so proud to be among such a spirited group of students and faculty in the School of Engineering. I echo Bryan Cole’s sentiments when I tell you that your student government is here for you. Virtually EVERY successful student group at Tulane has an engineer at its core. David Welch (BME) is VP of finance for the USG, Vipin Menon (CS) is the VP of finance for GAPSA, Bryan Cole (EE) is the EVP for USG, Scott Rowley (BME) is TUCP President, Max Hetzer (Chem. Eng) is the President of the EGSA, Nick Bacque (graduated BME) is now president of GAPSA, and, me, Arman Sadeghpour (CS) is President of the Associated Student Body this year. The summary of the acronym jumble above, is basically, that almost every influential student post at Tulane is held by an Engineering student (fact).
I have a meeting with Dr. Cowen and Dr. Cherrey on Monday; I plan to printout a list of your emails to this yahoo group and read some of the more effective ones to them. If you care about the future of your school…continue to write to this yahoo group or to me personally (tulaneuniv@aol.com) - How’s that email address for school spirit? I will make sure that these sentiments are heard. I am proud to say that I did my undergraduate studies at Tulane (BA/BS), and I plan to finish my PhD there as well.
Please keep your emails and responses coming so that I can voice every angle of this to the higher administration (faculty and staff included). Please also forward this email to anyone who may want to contribute to this dialogue.
all the best,
Arman Sadeghpour
President : Associated Student Body
Tulane University
2005-2006

9. Jerry Says:
December 9th, 2005 at 1:07 pm
Scott Cowen’s office number is 504-865-5201 for those who would like to express their sentiments personally.

10. Virtually Shocking Says:
December 9th, 2005 at 1:29 pm
Save Tulane Engineering - A Rally in Vain
Only one day after the announcement from Tulane (renewal.tulane.edu) that most of engineering would be cut, and the remainder merged with the sciences in the new Science and Engineering department, there’s already a counter-movement.
As much as I…

11. Jordan Sangerman Says:
December 9th, 2005 at 1:30 pm
I know I will probably get hit for this comment, but I just wanted to offer my two cents. While I am also very upset and disappointed in these actions, I cannot sit here and bash President Cowen and the Board for making them. I cannot believe that the university would drop these programs just for the hell of it. I honestly believe that there was no alternative. My guess is that these programs are very costly, but don’t bring the school as much recognition and prestige for the money put into them.
Students in those departments, I do not suggest that you are any less important or meaningful to the university and School of Engineering than BME and ChemE students. It is just my feeling (and I could be very wrong) that the money invested in these programs does not pay off publicly as much as BME and ChemE departments, and that is why they were dropped.
I am as upset, disappointed, and outraged as the rest of you. This is a very sad day for Tulane and the School of Engineering. The School of Engineering truly is a large part of the Tulane community, and it is shame to think that the school as we know it will no longer exist.
I suggest to all of you that before you suggest that Dr. Cowen and the board were irrational and overstepped their boundaries, first try to understand why they did it. Hopefully we will get some sort of explaination, but I don’t think we can get anywhere if we simply put down the decision.
Please, everyone! Put forth your support! Tell Dr. Cowen that you are upset! Let Dean Altiero know that you want the school to stay as is! Show the university that we truly are an important and meaningful group. Make donations to the school, and make sure you let me know you want your money going to the School of Engineering. The only way we can save the school is by letting everyone know how we feel. But, I urge you to do so peacefully. Please do not send emails bashing and condemning the decision, but instead respectfully and understandingly disagree. I think if we can do that, we will have a much greater effect on this terribly unfortunate situation.
Jordan Sangerman

12. Colleen Fryer Says:
December 9th, 2005 at 1:56 pm
I believe that a great disservice is being done here. I think the main problem is that Cowen does not find us to be an impressive group. He could not possibly be aware that our graduates (particularly this year’s class) are mostly in top-notch school and companies now. It amazes me to hear that unbelievable places that have hired us, where many of our colleagues still have not found positions in the work force. Our professors are the best in the nation, our students are passionate, and incredibly dedicated (who else could study so hard in such a Bacchanalian atmosphere?)
And to Jordan: You think it is wise to keep programs like Medieval studies, Jewish studies or Asian studies over engineering? How many of those graduates have jobs right now?

13. Brock Tice Says:
December 9th, 2005 at 2:29 pm
“You think it is wise to keep programs like Medieval studies, Jewish studies or Asian studies over engineering? How many of those graduates have jobs right now? ”
This is not the kind of constructive consideration that we need right now.

14. Jordan Sangerman Says:
December 9th, 2005 at 3:19 pm
Colleen and others,
I completely agree with what you are saying as far as how amazing our engineering school is. I don’t think I mentioned it previously, but I am a senior BME who is certainly affected, although not as much as freshmen, sophomores, and doctoral candidates in those departments being cut. I agree with you that if there is any way, these departments should be saved. They are extremely important to the university.
But what I’m doing is trying to understand the university’s perspective. The engineering school, including those departments being cut, are very costly! The departments you mentioned (Medieval, Jewish, and Asian studies) are not. These departments (and the many similar ones) are much smaller, have smaller faculty numbers, don’t have the large research costs, and overall are cheaper to run. They may not have the prestige that the engineering programs have, but they are cheaper.
The basic issue at hand is that this was entirely a financial decision. This wasn’t the university’s excuse to upset a lot of people for kicks. This was done because the university was hit EXTREMELY hard financially. To give you an idea of how hard, here’s a quick estimate (seriously flawed, and I’m sure the real numbers are available somewhere, but work with me here): there are rougly 8000 undergraduates, each with tuition running about $10,000 for the fall semester. That right there is $80,000,000. This is just one of the many financial losses the university is incurring because of this catastrophe.
All I ask for everyone is to please try to understand why this was done. Just think about it, but try not to think that this was done without alternatives being considered. And, again, I strongly, strongly encourage you all to let the university know how you feel, but please do so in an understanding manner. It is possible that we can have an impact and at least somehow change the decision. Thank you again.
Jordan Sangerman

15. James Terry Says:
December 9th, 2005 at 3:32 pm
I don’t understand why they would cut the Engineering school, escpecially Civil Engineering.
We have a possiblity of being a World-Class Civil Engineering program because of the hands-on opportunities availible to New Orleans.
James Terry
Computer Science class of 2006

16. Su Liu Says:
December 9th, 2005 at 3:34 pm
Dear Fellow Members of the Former Tulane University School of Engineering,
My initial reaction, as with many of you, to this announcement, this plan was complete outrage. First in late August and early September a catastrophic natural disaster ravaged our city and school, forcing many of us to apply to other institutions as transient students or some to take the semester off. Then as the day approached to be reunited with our friends that became a surrogate family and the city and school we had all grown to love, a seemingly unreasonable decision was made at a time that severely limited our “outs” and for some destroyed the incentive to return.
A reorganization of the university after what has happened is reasonable. Consolidation of certain departments is expected. Even extinguishing “time-honored” traditions, such as the union of Tulane College and Newcomb College, has some logic (maybe they were emulating the successes of other schools such as Vanderbilt who has a similar system, who knows).
Considering the financial losses the school suffered, it is understandable that measures had to be taken to cut losses; however, is the purpose of the endowment not for the proverbial “rainy day” scenario? It’s storming.
But the dissolution of the engineering department is seemingly without logic. With no reasonable explanation offered, we are all left to come to our own possibly erroneous conclusions. Obviously no one would be happy if their department was cannibalized for some supposed “greater good”, and unless I’m mistaken, engineering departments are of significant importance to comprehensive universities. Key word: comprehensive.
We’ll not consider the great loss of diversification that the engineers brought; look over values and traditions such as E-week or the rivalry between the engineering and business schools; ignore the service contribution to the community of the student organizations and future contributions such as the emerging Engineers Without Borders chapter being established at Tulane; disregard the “comprehensive” part of Tulane being a comprehensive university; brush off the loss of prospective students; we’ll even forget donations made to the institution from alumni. Let’s look at the sophomore engineers, who went a year to Tulane, a semester away, and another back only to transfer to another institution. Let’s examine every other major private comprehensive university in the nation. How many don’t have the staples of engineering: electrical, mechanical, and civil?
Will the degrees of the graduates of 2007 and before be meaningful if Tulane does not have existing accredited departments in those areas? Will the remaining departments be able to maintain their accreditation?
Tulane claims to “remain a research-oriented institution,” but what about the loss of practical, useful developments made by the dissolved departments?
The only thing matching my indescribable sadness right now is an overwhelming feeling of disappointment and betrayal. We trusted Tulane to provide viable options for the coming semester and semesters, and for that trust we were slapped on the wrist and told to change our passions or leave.
If the decision is truly irrevocable, I suggest an appeal to extending the withdrawal date. The timing of this announcement could not have been better, either nailing finals week for some or the week before for others. This only gives us an effective week to make a decision on whether to remain at Tulane, especially considering the possible long term repercussions of making such a rash decision without the time for adequate research or deliberation due to other concerns (final exams).
With Regards,
Su Liu

17. NCTC Says:
December 9th, 2005 at 3:50 pm
Combining Newcomb and Tulane Colleges does not save any money and makes no more sense than eviscerating the Engineering School. In addition, it’s an affront to women’s education (not surprising, coming from a group of advisors that includes not a single woman–see http://renewal.tulane.edu/panel.shtml).

18. Brock Tice Says:
December 9th, 2005 at 3:55 pm
“Combining Newcomb and Tulane Colleges does not save any money and makes no more sense than eviscerating the Engineering School.”
Wait, removing a duplication of administrative staff and processes doesn’t save money?

19. NCTC Says:

December 9th, 2005 at 4:17 pm
There are almost no duplications, except in student government, which are funded with their own endowments. The same number of students will need to be served by the same number of administrators, unless student services are to be cut.

20. Devin Hendricks Says:
December 9th, 2005 at 4:20 pm
Hello fellow engineers,
Although I am a Cell and Molecular Biology major now, I was once a biomedical engineering student. Even though that department was not cut, I believe that biomedical engineering will be significantly impacted in its scope of interdisciplinary research as the computer science, mechanical, and electrical engineering fields all contributed to that field a great deal. Although the depth of interdisciplinary study may be affected, I feel as though the school of engineering was not a premiere institution in its scope of research by any means in the field of biomedical engineering and was quite significantly aided by the other departments. In the other degree fields in engineering I feel as though they could have contributed vastly to the redevelopment of New Orleans in the coming years.
My academic work can be described as “less than stellar” in the engineering school but I have had been spending my time on a lot of research projects while I have been in school. I worked at Brown University this summer and won a Google Summer of Code grant to develop a Mass Spectrometer interface for the Brown University proteomics lab and feel as though many of the skills I used in the development of this software could have been developed in the engineering school but were not (http://sourceforge.net/projects/massspecint). The summer before, I worked at the University of California-Berkeley working on protein structure prediction/bioinformatic tool development. I believe a lot of the cutting edge research that is going on at other major research institutions was not being done at Tulane and believe that in order for the engineering school to come back as a stronger entity than before that departments need to be less myopic in the scope of their research and embrace ideas that may even only have a small component of the field contributing. We also need to work to dissolve the uptown-downtown divide and bring the School of Medicine closer to the electrical, mechnical, chemical, and computer science departments. I have seen a lot of cutting edge research during my work experience and know that all these fields contribute greatly to medical research.
I am not for the dissolution of the mechanical, electrical, civil, computer engineering, or computer science departments but knowing these department’s fate want to offer advice for their return. There definitely was a bit of interdisciplinary research being done at Tulane before the hurricane but believe that it was not nearly at the level it could have been at due to academic squabbling. There was a political science professor I knew at Tulane who had broader focus than a lot of the engineering faculty and had an engineering background himself and is an example we should learn from. Engineering should be able to work with the liberal arts in sciences as easily as it should work with other fellow engineer disciplines. I know a great deal of intellectual property and business can be created and contribute greatly to the universities growth if only we were willing to think outside the traditional boundaries. In the end, I believe that it would be wiser to keep these departments and bring them to the table for a restructuring agreement (define a couple research goals that will be in high demand for the rebuilding of New Orleans). It would allow for Tulane to keep some sort of relevancy in the rebuilding of the city of New Orleans and would allow for Tulane to be a permanent staple of the “New” New Orleans.
Cheers,
Devin Hendricks
Junior - Cell and Molecular Biology
CEO, The Polis Voice (why yes I do multiple things - computer science, political science, bioinformatics - one’s interest should not be limited by traditional thought – not to say that one has to have broad interests but saying that this sort of depth should be encouraged instead of frowned upon)

21. Tulane Engineering Says:
December 9th, 2005 at 4:32 pm
[…] Save Tulane Engineering: Through our ingenuity, Tulane Engineers will enable our leaders to reinvent Tulane, without the loss of its most important institution. If you, or anyone else have statistics regarding Engineering at Tulane such as per capita earnings, grant numbers, donation numbers, or scholarship recipients please let me now. We, Mary McCarty (Biomedical), Laura Wells (Biomedical), Shawn Sarwar (Biomedical), Justin Mikowski (Computer Engineering) and Will Clarkson (Computer Engineering), are spearheading an initiative to save our school. But we can’t do this ourselves. […]

22. Bob O'Hara Says:
December 9th, 2005 at 4:49 pm
Hey y’all,
Even though I’m a political science major, I still recognize that the rebuilding of New Orleans is going to require a robust engineering group, and I think Tulane should be one of the places to provide engineering education and experience.
I put this suggestion up in the petition, it might sound stupid and lame, but it’s an idea and maybe you guys could run with it. I came across this website (www.greasecar.com) and technology that allows diesel cars to run on vegetable oil: peanut, canola, soybean, used grease, whatever. Stay with me now. What does New Orleans have right now? Restaurants. What does New Orleans not have? Right now, waste pickup is spotty, and it doesn’t have cheap, environmentally sound transportation (street cars are out, cabs are expensive, free FEMA buses will stop sometime soon, anyone without a car is kind of out of the game). Basically, the idea is for the engineering department to start a cab or transportation company that utilizes this technology, providing a waste pickup for New Orleans restaurant fryers, cheap transportation, advertisement for local businesses, impetus for tourists to come, and an opportunity for engineering students to work hands on in design and implementation of environmental engineering projects. You could call it caNOLA cabs. I know…it sounds crazy. It’s just an idea. Maybe you guys can figure it out, I mean you’re engineers.
Seriously,
Bob O’Hara
Political Science: International Relations ‘06

23. Devin Hendricks Says:
December 9th, 2005 at 5:03 pm
See - I love Bob’s idea. We should not laugh at any idea and should always examine its merits. There was actually a CNN report done on this and a person actually gets free fuel by getting free grease from local businesses and uses that grease to fuel his car. He said that it smelled like French (freedom, whatever) fries wherever he went but he could not beat the price (although an environmental analysis should be done on this to ensure that this will not contribute to pollution significantly more than traditional means)
-Although-
My friend Tom who was my roommate last year is at Stanford this semester and his professor in an international relations class was a grant officer at DARPA in the 70s. His first day on the job he had received a proposal from a professor at some American university that was quite comical - but serious. The professor had proposed that we send rockets to the moon and anchor the moon to the Earth and “move” the Moon towards the Soviet Union - and this is how we were to win the Cold War. As this was a serious proposal, the grant officer had to reply and sent him an analysis of the tensile properties needed to anchor the Moon to the Earth and debunked it on those grounds. No matter how “stupid” the idea, the examination of the merits should always be made and one’s mind should not be closed even after receiving dozens of such proposals. Although it is up to the individual to think his/her idea over before debate over the merits of the idea, one should not be dismissed outright in the future for trying an idea that is less than stellar. Anything less is antisocial and breeds an academic environment of people that think too highly of themselves.
Cheers,
Devin Hendricks

24. Glenn Case Says:
December 9th, 2005 at 7:47 pm
I think it is also important to shed some light on the professors who’s jobs have been taken. Dr. Mehrabadi, chair of the ME department, once told me, “I attended Tulane for my B.S., my M.S., and my Ph.D. Once I graduated I kindly asked God if he would keep me here in New Orleans and at this institution for the rest of my life”. Dr. Mehrabadi now has to face the possibility of moving from the city that he loves. Dr. Bob Watts a heat transfer professor in the ME department is the grandson of one of Tulane’s past presidents. He was granted his B.S. at Tulane and then went on to MIT and Purdue for his MS and Ph.D., respectively. He came back to New Orleans and Tulane because of his family’s commitment to the city and Tulane. After spending a semester in graduate school, I have come to realize what I knew all along; the professors in the engineering departments are the best around. They really and truly care about student progress, professional development, and Tulane itself. We need to take action to remedy this situation for we all are Tulane students and should abide by its motto: Non Sibi Sed Suis (not for one’s self, but for one’s own) We must take care of our own and our beloved Tulane community.

25. Johnette Hassell Says:
December 9th, 2005 at 8:21 pm
FYI I’m EECS faculty.
I’ve always been proud of our students, but never more so than at this moment. From the first email, from Will Clarkson, it has been clear what Tulane students are really about.
First, the initial team included two BME’s-a program that is to be spared demolition. The first letter was respectful and other postings from the “Administrator” have continued to be respectful. You have expressed anger and lashed out. You responded with well reasoned arguments about how to help and cautions about dissing Pres. Cowen and other programs.
I’ve been particularly impressed with the argument that New Orleans needs us NOW. Community service? Who else can help us get levees that can survive a category 5 storm? Who else can build a car that is only one of five that finished the DARPA contest (and in their first attempt!) Who else can design new communication systems that can stay in operation when a category 5 storm hits? Who else can evaluate models that will help us rebuild the wetlands (which we need to buffer us from the storms). Who else can develop artificial intelligence systems that can analyze storm systems, identify people trapped on roofs, find ways to alter storm behavior? The list is endless.
I’m also impressed that non-engineering students are participating. We really are all in this together. Newcomb College has a strong and valued alumni. They see their heritage and history being destroyed in this plan. We are not alone. We need to reach out and support them. We are all in this together.
Please continue to use your considerable intellect to look for solutions, win-win situations, and ways to improve Tulane’s future.
“Dr. H.”

26. Kevin Gremillion Says:
December 9th, 2005 at 8:23 pm
I just wanted to say that the news of the cut backs at Tulane hit deep within the entire university. I am going to post a link to you guys on my blog (which hasn’t been updated in a while, but anyway).
It does seem a bit incredible that the engineering school was where much of the cuts came from. You guys have a great school and exceptional students. I have had the pleasure of working with several of them. It saddens me that with all the promises that Tulane has for helping rebuild New Orleans, that the one school that could contribute so much to the infrastructure of the city will not be there to be involved. It will end up being students from somewhere else that get to help out and get credit. These students will not be stakeholders as you all are; they will just be people looking for recognition.
Good luck to you all and I hope you succeed in your fight!
Kevin Gremillion
MBA 2005
Master of Accounting 2006
AB Freeman School of Business
Tulane University

27. Ridha Abbas Says:
December 9th, 2005 at 9:20 pm
Even though I am a Chemical Engineering student, I still feel the loss every program will suffer. The ChemE discipline was unique by giving so many technical electives from Environmental, Civil, Mechanical engineering, and others. No one discipline can be as good as it is right now without having the full engineering school mix.
Cowen was a source of inspiration for me ever since Katrina, but I don’t feel he deserves it anymore. I thought we were going to rebuild NOLA, how so without a strong engineering school?
28. David Zalkind Says:
December 10th, 2005 at 11:43 am
Tulane has stepped on a political landmine. If post - Katrina is not the best time to build a robust Engineering Dept, then what would be the best time? What is more relevant?
Pencil pushers have made this decision - and yes, on paper, “Engineering” should be out - based on past performance. But TODAY an amazing opportunity has come out of this disaster, to actually have “Engineering” lead the way, creating innovative ways to rebuild the Gulf Coast.
Yes, it’s about money. But why shouldn’t money (grants, endowments, foundation scholarships, etc) torrentially flow towards supporting “Engineering” now more than ever?
I think that the “powers that be” are: (1) brilliant in their move to slash “Enginneering”, by realizing that it will create an actual groundswell of support to resurrect “Engineering” or; (2) absolutely without vision.
I am hoping the former.
David Zalkind
Tulane Alumnus
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