Five students will receive a total of $100,000 for their work in promoting racial equity, justice or diversity initiatives as the first recipients of the Judge A. Leon Higginbotham Scholarship. The scholarship, a part of Tulane’s A Plan for Now, was established through a personal donation of President Michael A. Fitts and his wife, Renée J. Sobel, Esq. The recipients will receive funds between $8,000 and $10,000 per year through the scholarship, which will be renewed each semester.

President Michael A. Fitts announced Louisiana Promise, a new initiative that will make a Tulane undergraduate degree more accessible and affordable for Louisiana residents from low- and middle-income families and increase access to higher education for all students in New Orleans. New programs associated with the initiative include debt-free financial awards, a pre-college summer program and a new college preparatory center.

Kendall Gardner, a graduate of the Class of 2020, won a George C. Marshall Scholarship, becoming the second Tulanian in two consecutive years to be honored with the award. (Praveena Fernes, featured in the fall 2020 Tulanian, won the award last year.) Marshall Scholarships are awarded annually to 40 recipients or fewer and provide support for young Americans to study for a graduate degree in the United Kingdom.

“At the Tulane School of Medicine, applications for admission to the class of 2025 are up more than 35% compared to the same time last year.”

The Grolier Club, the oldest and most prestigious bibliophilic society in America, welcomed Tulane’s Dean of Libraries and Academic Information Resources David Banush as a member this summer. The club consists of nearly 800 book collectors, scholars, librarians, printers and bibliophiles and fosters the study, collecting and appreciation of books and works on paper.