Tulane University Freeman School BLOG

Dear Students & Prospective Students:

Last month I told you that Tulane University would be the site of the first
meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative-U, a program created by former
President Bill Clinton to harness the energy and knowledge of college
students to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems. CGIU is an
offshoot of the Clinton Global Initiative, a non-partisan effort started by
the former president in 2005 to bring world leaders together to find and put
into action solutions to problems in education, energy, climate change,
global health and poverty.

This week the director of CGIU and other officials came to campus to scout
locations for their meeting, an event that will bring the former president
and other leaders together with Tulane students and their peers from
universities throughout the country. Due to the complexity of juggling
various schedules, the only date available for the meeting is March 15,
which coincides with the start of our spring break. Despite this, I believe
the demand to participate in this meeting, which will begin with discussions
and end with commitments from students to take specific action, will be
great.

Soon the CGIU will post an online application for those interested in
participating in its meeting at Tulane. I will send the site’s address to
you as soon as it becomes available. Remember, the single most important
criteria for being invited to the CGIU meeting is the desire and commitment
to take concrete action.

We are honored by CGIU’s selection of Tulane. This selection is a testament
to Tulane’s long history of applying its knowledge and research to improve
our community and world. This tradition was recently acknowledged in
GambitWeekly’s “40 Under 40,” which highlights 40 people under 40 who are
making a difference in the community. At least 15 of the individuals
highlighted in this issue are either current employees, graduates or
community partners of Tulane.

Tulane was one of the first institutions to re-open in New Orleans
post-Katrina. We were also one of the first American universities to
establish a major presence in Rwanda in the mid 1990s following that
country’s devastating civil war. Tulane architecture students are designing
and building homes for hurricane victims in Central City, while Tulane
researchers are investigating the exploitation of workers in Ghana and Cote
d’Ivoire.

I cite these as just a few of the many examples I could offer to highlight
the fact that, whether at home or abroad, Tulane is helping to transform the
world through positive and lasting change. Let’s keep up the good work.

Have a great weekend,

President Cowen

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