“By restricting ballet to pure romance, the art form loses its power to make critical commentary on the state of things.” Felicia McCarren, professor of French and dance historian, said in a New York Times article, “Is Ballet Camp?”

School of Architecture faculty members Carrie Norman and Adam Modesitt, along with their students, created an intricate mural as a part of the “Unframed” project of the Arts Council of New Orleans. The project includes five murals within walking distance of each other in the city’s Arts District. The mural by Norman, Modesitt and their students is a life-size architectural drawing of a mid-19th century shotgun house called “Open House.” The project’s goal is to bring vibrancy to New Orleans outside of gallery walls and was funded by a $175,000 grant from the Helis Foundation.

“The mental health system in the U.S. is broken and in times of disaster it’s even more on the back burner.” Reggie Ferreira, director of Tulane’s Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy, quoted in Rolling Stone on the impact climate change has on mental health.

The first book-length study of award-winning writer and Tulane English professor Jesmyn Ward has been published in Xavier Review. The 177-page publication celebrates Ward’s literary accomplishments with a collection of critical readings and scholarly responses. It includes Ward’s prologue to her memoir Men We Reaped, a chronology of her work and reviews of her publications.

Tulane’s School of Professional Advancement, in collaboration with the university’s Center for Sport, announced its new online master’s degree and graduate certificates in sports studies. Students can receive graduate-level certifications in sport administration, sport coaching or sport security.

Tulane Law School Dean David Meyer announced the school is launching a new Immigrants’ Rights Clinic. The law school has launched a national search for the director of the clinic and will begin enrolling students in fall 2020. It will enroll up to 15 students annually and provide about 3,200 hours of service through individual client representation and community consultations.

James Zadina, professor of medicine, and other researchers have developed a new kind of opioid, called ZH853, that accelerates the recovery time from pain and does not have the side effects morphine does.

As a part of Tulane’s Bioinnovation PhD program, Derek Dashti (SSE ’19) developed an organ regenerative implant technology designed to regenerate a patient’s damaged esophagus in an effort to treat esophageal cancer. The technology can also generate other damaged organs and tissue. He founded his startup, D & P Bioinnovations, to design and develop biomedical technologies and products.

“We don’t build monuments to trolls. ... If you find yourself spending more time fighting than getting to work, stop and ask yourself who benefits from all the chaos.” Tim Cook, CEO of Apple and Tulane University Commencement speaker, on May 18, 2019. Cook reminded the graduates that “young people have changed history, time and time again.”

Tulane ranked No. 3 among medium-size schools on the Peace Corps’ list of top volunteer-producing colleges and universities in 2019. Tulane also ranked No. 1 on the list among schools that produce volunteers from graduate programs. Currently, there are 44 Tulanians volunteering in countries around the world. Since the Peace Corps’ founding in 1961, nearly 600 Tulane alumni have served as volunteers abroad.