Since I arrived at Tulane 10 years ago, I have accumulated a wealth of stories and anecdotes that capture the magic of this great institution. But one story in particular stands out. In 2017, an interdisciplinary team of Tulane students won the NASA Big Idea Challenge. With majors ranging from engineering physics to architecture to economics, the Tulanians developed a truly innovative proposal that bested teams from top aerospace engineering programs nationwide. To my mind, this story encapsulates the characteristics that set Tulane apart: our interdisciplinarity, our collaborative culture and our outward-looking focus. A primary goal of my presidency has been to build an environment that leans into these traits, which are establishing us as a global leader in research and education.  

From the moment undergraduates apply to Newcomb-Tulane College, they encounter an academic environment that erases the traditional boundaries between disciplines. Across the university, we have invested in interdisciplinary programs and centers that tackle the complex problems of our world, as well as state-of-the-art spaces that encourage creative collaboration. We have established 10 presidential chairs to recruit world-renowned faculty whose expertise spans fields. These efforts have contributed to an explosion in research at Tulane, with external funding up 70 percent over the past six years.

Interdisciplinarity can only thrive in an atmosphere of collaboration — and this is another area where Tulane stands out. While it may be harder to quantify than the stratospheric growth of our research enterprise or the steadily climbing caliber of our students, our relational culture sets the standard for relationship-building and emotional intelligence. We are leveraging this culture with a $1 billion investment in transforming our campuses to facilitate engagement and connection between students, faculty, staff and the wider community. 

As I have written in these pages, Tulane’s identity has always been outward-facing, ever since our founding in 1834 in response to a yellow fever epidemic. When we apply our interdisciplinary ethos and our collaborative culture to problems beyond the confines of our campus, our impact is tremendous. This is why we are building a world-class academic medical center in partnership with LCMC and expanding our capacity for translational research. Through the Tulane University Innovation Institute, we are bridging the gap between academia and the real world, bringing breakthroughs and innovations to market faster. 

Ten years from now, Tulane will mark its 200th anniversary. Few institutions have managed to survive and thrive for centuries, but universities are a notable exception. Just as they are exceptional in their longevity, they are extraordinary in their scope. It’s fair to say that every issue confronting society is surfaced at a university, forcing us to change and evolve. This is both our challenge and our strength: paradoxically, we owe our permanence to our adaptability. We turn our attention to every unanswered question and every intractable problem; we lean into difficult conversations, which at times can be contentious. As a result, we are better prepared for the unexpected challenges that lie ahead.

While we cannot predict what the future will bring, we can clearly see that citizens of tomorrow’s world must be prepared to adapt to constant and ever-accelerating change. They must also be ready to live in a world that is no longer siloed, moving physically, mentally and culturally in and out of different spaces. The university environment builds these skills by bringing people together from a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives to learn, work and live together in an intensely relational environment.     

Among universities, Tulane is uniquely positioned to unlock promising new pathways for the world. Our fluid academic structure, distinctive relational culture and outward-looking focus underlie our adaptability, strength and success. No other university in the country integrates these qualities better than Tulane, and we have been building on these traits vigorously and systematically for the past decade. Exactly 400 years after John Donne wrote that “no man is an island,” the digital age seems intent on isolating each of us within a solitary techno-bubble — but Tulanians understand that each and every one of us is “a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” This knowledge ensures that Tulane will continue having a positive impact for centuries to come.