Save Tulane Engineering

[wwalkeri]

The New Dean of The School of Science and Engineering postet a letter to Alumni on the Tulane SoE website. In this letter the Alumni are told " there is no turning back." Alumni please look past this and DO NOT let it stop the current moment we have gathered. It is easy to lose hope but please help us continue to attempt to reverse this horrible decision.

Thank You,
William Walker
Mech E. 2007

[jmikowski]

Here is his letter:

December 13, 2005
Members of the Society of Tulane Engineers:
There have been many changes at Tulane in the last week and I wanted to communicate
to you about them as quickly as possible. Most of you know that on Dec. 8, President
Cowen and the Board of Tulane announced a major restructuring of Tulane in order to
secure the university's future operations in light of the enormous challenges created by
Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. While there is a great deal to be commended about
the new university structure, it unfortunately involves a reduction in engineering
programs.
On Dec. 9, President Cowen conducted a conference call with the School of Engineering
Board of Advisors. Dave Kanger (as president of STE, Dave is a member of the Board)
and I both participated in the call, during which the President explained the reasons for
the decisions. He told the Board that, in his view, the new School of Science and
Engineering could be a powerful platform on which a newly defined Engineering
presence can be built at Tulane University. He also informed the Board that I have
accepted the position of Dean of the School of Science and Engineering effective July 1,
2006, and he asked them to work with me over the next 18 months to develop a vision for
the future of Engineering at Tulane University. I intend to begin that process
immediately after the holidays, and Dave and I will be looking for input from all of you.
Under the new structure, there will be a single Undergraduate College that offers degree
programs in the arts, the sciences, engineering, business and architecture. Among the
undergraduate programs to be offered will be degrees in Biomedical Engineering and
Chemical Engineering. The faculty of the university will be organized into schools. And
faculty members associated with the two engineering programs will be housed in the
School of Science and Engineering, which will offer a small number of graduate
programs in areas where the institution has or can attain a high level of national
recognition. Among the graduate programs to be offered will be Biomedical Engineering
and Chemical Engineering.
Unfortunately the departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical
Engineering and Computer Science, and Mechanical Engineering will be eliminated and
the degree programs offered through these three departments will end as of 30 June
2007. Obviously Dave and I are deeply disappointed with this decision and I can assure
you that I argued very strenuously that additional engineering degree programs should be
retained. President Cowen agreed that I presented a very strong case but he said that this
was a strategic decision and that, in his view and that of the Board, these three
engineering departments are too small relative to their counterparts to effectively
compete for national prominence.
I know that this is difficult for you, and for our students, to hear. Over the weekend in a
positive development, President Cowen, Provost Lefton and I were able to meet and
develop several options for our first and second year students. If you are interested they
can be viewed at http://renewal.tulane.edu/students_engineering.shtml
Regardless of our disappointment, there is no turning back from the Board's decision.
Now it is up to all of us to start defining a new vision for Engineering at Tulane within
the context of the School of Science and Engineering. I know that I welcome this
opportunity to continue the legacy of engineering at Tulane. And I know that Dave will
be a strong voice for STE in his role as representative to the Board.
Thank you,
Dean Nick Altiero
_________________
- Justin Mikowski
Computer Engineering '07
"Non sibi Sed Suis" -Not for one's self but for one's people.

[jmikowski]

Dear Alumni,

Over the past few days this website had grown into a chance for organizing and enacting change at our university. We have sent letters to President Cowen, alumni, students, news papers, companies, other universities, and the like. We as the students, refuse to be deterred from our present course of action by a few words. This letter written to the alumni is not an explanation; it is the same rhetoric we have heard repeated in each of the letters sent to the student body and the faculty over the past 3 days. Those letters have not resulted in our support or efforts from wavering but only served to strengthen our resolve. Engineering at Tulane is more then just tradition, its more then just a few majors, it even more then rebuilding New Orleans, its become an experience that has altered peoples lives.

When I was in high school, I had a chance to go to many universities. So I devised a test for my would be home. I sent an email to the dean or department chair of programs I were interested in and asked them for advice, and what to expect. I choose Tulane because a professor at Tulane took the time to answer my email including, what to expect class wise, personal tips about where to eat, and why he chose New Orleans and Tulane. This professor knew I was only considering the Tulane, I had not even applied yet. That is the type of people we are losing with this, faculty who are truly there for the students. President Cowen has said that with the Renewal Plan that “the undergraduate program will be at the core of the renewed Tulane” resulting in a university that was more “student-centric.” I believe that viewpoint of professors focusing on the students has been and will continue to be that of the entire engineering faculty.

As alumni, you have your degree. You could walk away from this, deterred by some daunting words from Cowen. In all honesty, I’m a junior by year and basically a senior in standing. I would easily graduate from Tulane with my degree. But somehow that would feel hollow knowing I was the last, if not forever then for a long time.

I feel that we are making progress. This website really still is a fledging movement, and yet look at all the support we have gained. Even the very letter that might make you doubt our chances should have you smiling. I believe that this letter was made particularly due to our efforts. If it was not, then why was the letter not release earlier when the students or faculty received theirs? President Cowen and Dean Altiero are both very aware of this website and the amount of attention and support it has received, and we are just getting started.

We really appreciate all the support we have received so far, and hope to only see it grow. With out the support of our alumni base, the students of today, and the prospects of tomorrow will go unspoken for. Please continue to show your support. Comments welcomed below.
_________________
- Justin Mikowski
Computer Engineering '07
"Non sibi Sed Suis" -Not for one's self but for one's people.

[MVDoran]

I read the letter from the "dean" and I am very disappointed. I have posted my opinion on another track of why we should donate. Now we can't give up the fight.
It is hard to explain to a non Tulane person what the Tulane experience is. It is too bad that these "outsiders" like Cowen and the "dean" are trying to kill what they really don't understand. In my other post I tried to sum it up that
Tulane is an attitude.
Tulane is a mindset.
Tulane is Tulane
If you gotta ask you just don't understand it.
How can we turn our back on that tradition?
In the excellent letters from the students, they know what I am talking about. They have become part of that experience. We are a family. How can you turn your back on the family you love. The faculty have a unique concern for the growth and life of all their students. I can assure you that even 20 years after you graduate you can walk into their office or call them or send them an email. They remember you. They take pride in seeing you be successful. Some end up like David Filo. Some end up as Professors like me. Some of my fellow alums have worked for 20+ years at IBM or Sun or HP and have had a wonderful career. We applaud each other's success and are proud of our fellow alums. And the faculty are probably the proudest of all and they deserve the credit for much of our success. When I read about the recent grads and their successes I know that tradition continues.
Move on and forget that..... you have got to be crazy. It might be a job to the "dean" and Cowen but it is something so special to those of us who know what it really means.
I read a letter by another alum who said for the first time in 34 years he could not wear his class ring. I encourage him to put that ring back on. Last Sunday I wore my Olive Green and Baby Blue PhD regalia to our graduation. I am a proud Tulane Engineer and will not move on or turn my back on that tradition. I proudly wear the ring and regalia I earned and think that future generations deserve that chance to do the same. I am glad to see others are now using the motto Non Sibi Sed Suis. Perhaps the "dean" and Cowen might think about what it means.
Roll Wave.
Mike Doran - CS BS'82, ME'84, PhD'89

[colindavis]

Like Bluto said: "Nothing is over until we say it is. Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell, no!..."

Remember, students (and alumni!) - Cowen (and the Board) get paid by Tulane. You _pay_ Tulane. That means they work for you, not the other way around!

Don't give up!

[wwalkeri]

I want to thank all of the Alumni for their responses to this post. Unfortunately, it took something this big to realize what Tulane means to me. I am a graduate from Jesuit High School New Orleans, and I thought that Tulane could never rival the pride and love I felt and still fell for that institution. Well it has. Reading all of the letters from Alumni and other students has again made me realize that I am apart of something greater than myself. It has made me realize that I no longer view Tulane as just another financial burden. So again I just want to say thank you to all the alumni, faculty and staff who have made me truly realize what Tulane is all about. I can not wait to buy my senior ring, a ring I had previously viewed as meaningless.
Remember, tradition guides our future,
William J. Walker III
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Class of 2007