Mariam Taqaddusi, who fled Afghanistan, and Islam Ahmed, who fled Egypt, are part of the Tulane Global Visiting Scholars Program, which was established to broaden and deepen global perspectives at Tulane while supporting scholars who face significant risk to their lives and well-being. Taqaddusi is affiliated with the Gender and Sexuality Studies Program and the Newcomb Institute. Ahmed is affiliated with the Department of Political Science and the Middle East and North African Studies Program.

William Balée, chair of the Department of Anthropology at the School of Liberal Arts, has been awarded the Distinguished Ethnobiologist Award by the Society of Ethnobiology, the society’s highest recognition of lifetime achievement. Balée was recognized for demonstrating “the ideal of sustained scholarly excellence and leadership, with humble dedication to supporting ethnobiology students both at his institution and in the society.”

Anita Raj is the new executive director of the Newcomb Institute. Prior to joining Tulane, Raj was at the University of California–San Diego, where she was the inaugural Tata Chancellor Professor of Society and Health, founding director of the Center on Gender, Equity and Health, and holder of faculty appointments in the schools of Medicine and Social Sciences.

The A. B. Freeman School of Business will begin a new full-time MBA curriculum in fall 2023. The curriculum is built on three key pillars: data-driven decision making, cross-functional experiential learning, and broad-based preparation for the business world of the future. In addition to Finance and Business Analytics, the curriculum offers new concentrations in Sustainability and Strategy & Marketing.