Tulane, dazzling you with gloss and misdirection!

The hard working folks over at newcomblives.com continue to dismiss the propoganda by big, bad Tulane. This is just an excerpt.

By now you have undoubtedly received Tulane University’s very expensive four-color glossy “brochure” outlining its position on the lawsuit to restore Newcomb College.

While The Future of Newcomb College, Inc. cannot afford to produce a similar brochure – nor would we find it ethical to spend our limited resources (for which we owe you our thanks) on a slick propaganda publication such as that – our board believes Newcomb College alumnae and supporters need to understand that Tulane’s clever “wordsmithing” has distorted the truth about Mrs. Newcomb’s intent, the state of Newcomb College prior to the university’s decision to dissolve it, and the status of the new lawsuit to restore Newcomb College. (The new action, Montgomery v. Tulane, has been filed by Mrs. Susan Henderson Montgomery, a great, great grand niece of Mrs. Newcomb, who fits the Louisiana Supreme Court’s definition of “successor” and who is dedicated to ensuring that Tulane honors the intent of Newcomb’s founding benefactor.)

Below are the facts:

Tulane’s Version of the Truth: Mrs. Newcomb did not impose any conditions upon Tulane as to how it should further the higher education of women.

The Truth: Mrs. Newcomb’s bequest was subject to both a condition and a charge, or an expectation of performance. When she made her bequest, Mrs. Newcomb made it clear that her intent was for Tulane to use her donations “in establishing the H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College [not Institute] … for the higher education of … girls and young women” and “for the present and future development” of Newcomb College.

What Tulane Says: The Newcomb endowment was created by Tulane.

The Truth: Tulane did not donate the Newcomb endowment. Instead, in 1923, the university took money that Mrs. Newcomb had restricted in her will and used it as the basis for the H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial Fund, designated as funds “functioning as endowment.” Between 1974 and 1979, Tulane University continued to take and use the funds intended to maintain and support Newcomb College because the university had “financial needs.” By 1996, Tulane returned more than $15 million in Newcomb-designated money that it had taken in the 1970s. (See “Endowing Newcomb Forever” on on the upper right corner of this page.) This was money repaid, not money donated as endowment.

What Tulane Says: Today, the Newcomb endowment funds provide the programs of the H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College Institute.

The Truth: That is true and it is beside the point. The H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College Institute is not a college. It is an umbrella organization with no academic standing at the university, no dean, no degrees, no advisors, no campus, no student body, and no alumnae association, and the endowment funds were intended for the support of Newcomb COLLEGE and not the Newcomb Institute. Tulane is overstepping its authority in using the funds for this purpose.

What Tulane Says: Degrees have always been awarded by Tulane University.

The Truth: This is yet another example of the deceptive use of semantics by Tulane. Newcomb College graduates received a degree that was granted by Tulane University for fulfilling the requirements of the H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College or on the recommendation of the Newcomb College faculty. The diplomas were signed by the dean of Newcomb College. The H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial Institute has no degree requirements, nor faculty, nor a dean, because it exists in name only.

It's always been about the money. Please, President-Elect Obama, give Scott Cowen the Secretary of Education gig so he will get the hell out of town.

A prediction for my nearest and dearest

I love making predictions. Who will win this election? When will he get married? How long will this new receptionist last before they get sacked? How much weight has so-and-so lost? When will Zac Efron come out of the closet?

The pundits are going crazy predicting President-Elect Obama's choices for his cabinet and staff. The biggest cabinet position being discussed is Secretary of the Treasury for obvious reasons.

Education is my favorite political issue because it's, well, so political. It's the issue on which most of my friends would agree I am the most conservative. Preferences aside, I am officially making my own prediction on who Obama will choose for his Secretary of Education. And it's pretty close to home. My choice: Tulane University President Scott Cowen.


Affectionately known as "Scotty C" by Tulane students, Cowen is a good friend of Vice President-Elect Joe Biden. Joe Biden's daughter Ashley attended Tulane around the same time as THP ladies, and Biden has maintained ties with the school and its very popular, business-minded president. Cowen donated his money and name to the founding of the Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives at Tulane. Several of my "sources" (aka drinking buddies) that work for the Tulane administration and at the Cowen Institute have suggested for awhile now that, in the event of an Obama-Biden victory, Cowen's appointment as Ed Secretary was probable.

So far, Inside Higher Ed is the only outfit I can find (in a quick Google search) that has suggested Cowen's name is on the short list for this job. Education isn't a very sexy issue for most of the pundits in making their cabinet predictions, but for other Americans, millions of whom send their children to failing public schools every day, it's an extremely important one.

Personally, I believe that Cowen as Education Secretary could do amazing things for public education all over America by sharing the progressive educative ideas employed here in New Orleans with the rest of the country. These next four years could prove to be a very exciting time to be in education.