Tulane Commencement

My alma mater, Tulane University in New Orleans, has just held its first commencement since the onslaught of Hurricane Katrina last year so damaged the school's physical plant that classes were suspended for the fall semester. Two ex-Presidents, Bush and Clinton, delivered a joint commencement address. Not too shabby - but I'm not so sure about the Ellen DeGeneres talk though.

Tulane has struggled but seems to be coming through this okay. To cut costs it has cut some academic programs, faculty and staff, and some athletic teams. But most pre-hurricane students have returned and the incoming freshman class is the size and quality of last years.

I recently read an interesting piece in Slate that says of all the cultural institutions in New Orleans, the universities (Tulane, Loyola, Dillard, Xavier, UNO) seem to be making the fastest return to normalcy. As the authors say:

"So why have the universities done so much better than the city as a whole? First, the universities were never wracked by extreme corruption and bad governance. They have continued to pursue success and avoided getting snarled up in questions about who is really in charge. New Orleans must deal with politically divided federal, state, and local governments, but the universities have clear administrative chains of command, starting with their boards and presidents."

It would be great if the city could follow the universities' example.