<strong>Tulane</strong> University<strong>Architecture</strong> <strong>Program</strong> <strong>Report</strong>September <strong>2013</strong>Part One (I).Institutional Support and Commitment to Continuous ImprovementI.1.Identity & Self AssessmentI.1.1.History MissionInstitutional Mission<strong>Tulane</strong>'s purpose is to create, communicate and conserve knowledge in order to enrich the capacity <strong>of</strong>individuals, organizations and communities to think, to learn and to act and lead with integrity andwisdom. <strong>Tulane</strong> pursues this mission by cultivating an environment that focuses on learning and thegeneration <strong>of</strong> new knowledge; by expecting and rewarding teaching and research <strong>of</strong> extraordinarily highquality and impact; and by fostering community-building initiatives as well as scientific, cultural andsocial understanding that integrate with and strengthen learning and research. This mission is pursuedin the context <strong>of</strong> the unique qualities <strong>of</strong> our location in New Orleans and our continual aspiration to be atruly distinctive international university.History and Institutional Structure <strong>of</strong> <strong>Tulane</strong> University<strong>Tulane</strong> University, founded in 1834, is one <strong>of</strong> the most highly regarded and selective independentresearch universities in the United States. <strong>Tulane</strong>'s schools and colleges <strong>of</strong>fer degrees in the liberalarts, science and engineering, architecture, business, law, social work, medicine, and public health andtropical medicine. Located in New Orleans, <strong>Tulane</strong> traces its origins to the Medical College <strong>of</strong>Louisiana, the Deep South’s second-oldest medical school, which was founded in 1834. By 1847, theMedical College was part <strong>of</strong> the newly established public institution, the University <strong>of</strong> Louisiana. <strong>Tulane</strong>emerged as a private university in 1884 when the public University <strong>of</strong> Louisiana was reorganized andnamed in honor <strong>of</strong> benefactor Paul <strong>Tulane</strong>, a wealthy merchant who donated more than $1 million inland, cash and securities “for the promotion and encouragement <strong>of</strong> intellectual, moral and industrialeducation.” A native <strong>of</strong> Princeton, N.J., Paul <strong>Tulane</strong> had made his fortune in New Orleans and his giftexpressed his appreciation to this Southern city on the Mississippi River. In 1886, the H. SophieNewcomb Memorial College was established for women as part <strong>of</strong> the university. Newcomb-<strong>Tulane</strong>College today enrolls all undergraduates at the university. <strong>Tulane</strong> moved to its present campus on St.Charles Avenue in 1894. The <strong>Tulane</strong> University Health Sciences Center in downtown New Orleansincludes the <strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong> Medicine and <strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong> Public Health and Tropical Medicine, while the <strong>Tulane</strong>National Primate Research Center is in Covington, La.The university is a member <strong>of</strong> the prestigious Association <strong>of</strong> American Universities, a select group <strong>of</strong>the 63 leading research universities in the United States and Canada with “preeminent programs <strong>of</strong>graduate and pr<strong>of</strong>essional education and scholarly research.” <strong>Tulane</strong> is ranked by the CarnegieFoundation for the Advancement <strong>of</strong> Teaching as a university with “very high research activity.” Of morethan 4,300 higher educational institutions rated by the foundation, <strong>Tulane</strong> remains in a prestigiouscategory that includes only 2 percent <strong>of</strong> universities nationwide.Research in many disciplines has flourished at <strong>Tulane</strong> through the establishment <strong>of</strong> centers suchas the Roger Thayer Stone Center for Latin American Studies, the Middle American ResearchInstitute, the <strong>Tulane</strong>/Xavier Center for Bioenvironmental Research, the Murphy Institute, the<strong>Tulane</strong> Cancer Center, the <strong>Tulane</strong> Center for Gene Therapy and the Newcomb College Institute.<strong>Tulane</strong> weathered Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the nation’s worst human-caused (some would sayinaccurately “natural”) disasters. A renewed <strong>Tulane</strong> emerged as a stronger institution focused on anexceptional undergraduate program complemented by superb graduate, pr<strong>of</strong>essional and researchprograms based on the university’s strengths and distinctive characteristics. <strong>Tulane</strong>’s programs havebeen shaped by the university’s experience with Hurricane Katrina, providing faculty, staff and studentswith unprecedented research, learning and community-service opportunities. The Katrina experiencealso informs the future direction <strong>of</strong> the institution. In 2010, President Cowen announced the launch <strong>of</strong>the “<strong>Tulane</strong> Empowers” campaign, an effort that will further the university’s efforts to encourage social1
<strong>Tulane</strong> University<strong>Architecture</strong> <strong>Program</strong> <strong>Report</strong>September <strong>2013</strong>innovation and to develop the next generation <strong>of</strong> community-minded citizens and leaders.Mission <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Tulane</strong> <strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Architecture</strong>The mission <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Tulane</strong> <strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Architecture</strong> is to prepare students for leadership positions in thedesign pr<strong>of</strong>essions and in their communities. This school aspires to provide the highest qualitypr<strong>of</strong>essional education in architecture, to develop and conserve knowledge, and to promote excellenceand innovation in architecture, landscape urbanism, preservation, and urban and environmental designand development. The <strong>School</strong> aspires to reach many students within and beyond Richardson MemorialHall through undergraduate minors in <strong>Architecture</strong>, Certificate in Preservation, and through the minor inSocial Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship. The <strong>School</strong> recognizes the centrality <strong>of</strong> design thinkingas a process <strong>of</strong> synthesis that incorporates history, theory, technology, economics, behavior, andculture. The <strong>School</strong> supports diversity and meaningful engagement with urban and community issues,while embracing the creative potential and imperative <strong>of</strong> sustainable design. As a framework, threeprimary concepts and values are infused in the academic mission:• Educating students in the abiding cultural and social roles <strong>of</strong> architecture, preservation, andreal estate development by providing a well-rounded, humanities-based education withdiscipline-specific coursework;• Preparing future pr<strong>of</strong>essionals through continually assessed and updated coursework indesign, building technology, and pr<strong>of</strong>essional concerns with an emphasis on critical thinking;• Instilling a sense <strong>of</strong> responsibility and ethical conduct through civic engagement.History <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Tulane</strong> <strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Architecture</strong>The first courses in architecture at <strong>Tulane</strong> University leading to a degree in architectural engineeringwere <strong>of</strong>fered in 1894 under the direction <strong>of</strong> Pr<strong>of</strong>essor William Woodward. An article published in 1907noted, “the geographical location <strong>of</strong> the city <strong>of</strong> New Orleans, its cosmopolitan character, and the ageand variety <strong>of</strong> its unique building types, make it a fit place in which to develop a school <strong>of</strong> architecturewhich would be suited to its environment, maintain a reasonableness <strong>of</strong> planning and construction, andbe recognized as appropriate to the climatic conditions.” Accordingly, a full four-year pr<strong>of</strong>essionalcurriculum in architecture leading to a bachelor’s degree, was established in the College <strong>of</strong> Technology(Engineering) in the academic year 1907-1908. At that time Samuel S. Labouisse, Moise H. Goldstein,and Allison Owen joined the staff. In 1912, Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Nathaniel Cortlandt Curtis was appointed head <strong>of</strong>the newly independent <strong>Architecture</strong> Department; he was succeeded by Pr<strong>of</strong>essor John HerndonThomson and Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Buford L. Pickens in 1946.At the conclusion <strong>of</strong> the Second World War, the faculty and enrollment increased to accommodatereturning veterans, and the school continued to grow throughout the next two decades. John EkinDinwiddie was appointed dean <strong>of</strong> the <strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Architecture</strong> in 1953; he was succeeded by Pr<strong>of</strong>essorJohn William Lawrence in 1960. In 1971, the <strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Architecture</strong> moved into its present facility,Richardson Memorial Hall, and experienced another increase in enrollment that continued throughoutthe seventies. Pr<strong>of</strong>essor William Kay Turner became the dean in 1972, and in 1975 a small graduateprogram was initiated, <strong>of</strong>fering a course <strong>of</strong> study leading to the Master <strong>of</strong> <strong>Architecture</strong> II as a postpr<strong>of</strong>essionaldegree. Ronald Coulter Filson became dean in 1980.In the summer <strong>of</strong> 1990 the <strong>School</strong> began a program <strong>of</strong>fering a Master <strong>of</strong> <strong>Architecture</strong> as a firstpr<strong>of</strong>essional degree for students with undergraduate degrees in other disciplines. Donna V. Robertsonsucceeded Dean Filson in 1992. <strong>Tulane</strong> faculty member Donald F. Gatzke was appointed Dean <strong>of</strong> the<strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Architecture</strong> in 1997, just as the <strong>School</strong> initiated its Master <strong>of</strong> Preservation Studies program.Also in 1997, a supplemental Certificate in Preservation Studies was <strong>of</strong>fered to undergraduates for thefirst time. In 2003, the <strong>School</strong> eliminated the 5 year Bachelor <strong>of</strong> <strong>Architecture</strong> degree, replacing it with a5 year Master <strong>of</strong> <strong>Architecture</strong> as the pr<strong>of</strong>essional degree. Former <strong>Architecture</strong> magazine editor-in-chiefReed Krol<strong>of</strong>f became dean in October 2004. In 2005 the <strong>School</strong> initiated the <strong>Tulane</strong> City Center, itsurban research and outreach program, as well as URBANbuild, which helps rehabilitate neighborhoodsthrough urban design and the construction <strong>of</strong> student-designed and built housing prototypes.2