In December, the many roles played by the School of Liberal Arts were vividly on display. The school hosted its seventh annual faculty recognition showcase, which celebrated 35 books, performances, and exhibitions. These works reflect one of the most important roles a university can play: the creation of original knowledge. Far more than just the revision of the dissertation, or the way to get promoted and tenured, such scholarly activity is the underpinning of a true research university. As Stephanie Porras writes in her News from the Field, examining long forgotten documents from the sixteenth century brought her exciting new insights into the creation of a western identity in the global world. You will see through our slide show of the event, recognizing such work was truly a cause of celebration for the staff, the faculty, the provost, and our newly appointed president, Mike Fitts.
This month, we also celebrated our commitment to the community through our first annual Toys for Tunes concert. Hosted by the School of Liberal Arts and the Trombone Shorty Foundation, the free concert brought Trombone Shorty (Troy Andrews), the Soul Rebels, and the students of the Trombone Shorty Academy for an amazing night of music. Concert-goers took up the challenge to bring a “toy for tunes” with over 400 donations that will be shared with the Treme community.
While these two events seem quite disparate, they reflect Tulane’s mission to “create, communicate and conserve knowledge in order to enrich the capacity of individuals, organizations and communities to think, to learn and to act and lead with integrity and wisdom.” They also reveal the importance of our donors, whose generosity allows us to fund a truly remarkable range of activities from Prof. Porras’s cutting-edge scholarship to our role in helping to create the Trombone Shorty Academy. We thank all of your for your support and wish you the best this holiday season.