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Letter to David Filo

 
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TheCzar35



Joined: 11 Jan 2006
Posts: 55
Location: New Orleans, La

PostPosted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 7:13 pm    Post subject: Letter to David Filo Reply with quote

Below is a letter is sent through the Yahoo Investor Relations page of their web site via an email template. I don't have Filo's email address so this is the chance I took hoping some "yahoo" in that department will forward it to him. If anyone knows the email please forward to me at nmusmec@entergy.com. Thanks, Nick
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Please forward this letter to David Filo concerning Tulane University closing the Engineering School.

Dear Mr. Filo,

We Tulane engineering alumni need your help to save the our engineering school. Since you are our most distinguished alumni we would hope you would put pressure on Scott Cowen and the Tulane board to reverse this bad decision. Scott Cowen is shutting down a significant portion of the engineering departments, mainly Electrical (EE), Computer, Civil (CE) and Mechanical (ME) Engineering along with associated programs. Why he is even considering cutting Computer Engineering going forward in the 21st century is beyond me. Please visit the www.savetulaneengineering.org web site and read some of the Blogs on the Forum. Do not let Mr. Cowen or anyone at Tulane convince you that this decision is not reversible, the 31 faculty dismissed are still at Tulane teaching this semester and have 18 months to leave. I do agree that we must turn this decision around this semester or we will lose significant ground for a future recovery. I feel that Cowen had a liberal educational agenda and used Katrina for this move. Now is not the time to cut engineering and technology programs in New Orleans when Tulane can use them to help rebuild our city. I know you are from Louisiana and hope you have a deep appreciation for New Orleans as I do. I believe Tulane should being doing more to help the city that cutting the very programs that can offer the most assistance, both short and long term. The NOLA area has become a giant engineering problem and it must be solved by the best. Tulane can and should play a major role as part of the local community in solving problems familiar only to local people. The problem goes beyond the classic Civil Engineering levee issues, to all phase of engineering technology. These disciplines can help us develop a world class, high tech hurricane protection and drainage system (e.g. Pumps=ME, Pump automation, controls and telemetry=EE & Computer Engr and levees and canals=CE). Tulane has historically contributed to New Orleans and the country in the area of engineering, from A. Baldwin Wood, who developed the screw pump design still used in New Orleans and around the world and to you, co-founders of Yahoo. Scott Cowen says he wants to stand "shoulder to shoulder" with the city and state in this recovery effort, but you can't do this with just lawyers and social workers. Tulane has strong a graduate engineering program and has been in the fore front of R&D for years and has contributed many top notch people to industry both locally (Boh Bros., Nelson, etc.) and nationally. How much R&D is done at the Law School? Please help us to keep Tulane Engineering as real engine of recovery for New Orleans. I hope you can contact Scott Cowen show him the error of his way and how he is impeding the recovery of this great city. Mr. Cowen’s “Ivy League” vision of Tulane will ultimately hurt New Orleans and also weaken our higher educational infrastructure and make us less attractive to families wishing to see their child study here from grammar and high school through college. In addition to helping Tulane Engineering through your donations and chair endowments, your company can join in the New Orleans recovery by developing computer related business opportunities in the area or by opening or co-sponsoring a technology center with Tulane that would give some return on your donations. My company, ENTERGY CORPORATION, grants R&D money every year which helped Dr. Parviz Rastogufard to improve the department. Also Entergy has endowed the department chair.

Unfortunately it all comes down to money and that may be the only language Mr. Cowen understands. If you stop your donations to Tulane or if you offer to support Tulane in the future if it reverses this decision, this may be all the convincing he needs. Parviz and other professors are being censored by Tulane and have been forbidden from contacting you personally or by email (I need your email). This is why I am trying to reach personally, so please for Parviz sake and Tulane call me back. Parviz is a good man but his hands are tied. Mr. Cowen other hand is using these “slam dunk” tactics and not disclosing anything financial or other information to anyone on how he arrived at this decision. Please email me back at nmusmec@entergy.com or call me at 504-232-1726.

Yours Truly,
Nick Musmeci, Tulane BSEE 1976, MSME 1981
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