1951-The Tulane Story (Video)


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  • [film noise, scratches]
  • [orchestral music]
  • - [Narrator] This is the story of a university,
  • the only privately endowed, non-denominational institution
  • with a full university program in a vast Southern area.
  • The Tulane story is one of free enterprise in higher education.
  • The same type of free enterprise that permitted
  • Paul Tulane, for whom the university is named,
  • to become one of the wealthiest
  • merchants of New Orleans in the 19th century.
  • But the story began long before these buildings
  • were constructed,
  • and even before Paul Tulane amassed his fortune.
  • It goes back to 1834, when New Orleans was a city
  • scourged by such diseases as cholera and yellow fever.
  • To combat these pestilences, seven young doctors in that year
  • organized the Medical College of Louisiana.
  • Later, this college expanded to become
  • the University of Louisiana,
  • offering studies in law, commerce, and engineering,
  • filling the demand in New Orleans
  • for trained men in business and the professions.
  • In 1882,
  • Paul Tulane contributed more than a million dollars.
  • The sum, worth several times as much then as it is today,
  • to establish an institution of higher learning for young men.
  • The self-perpetuating Board of Administrators was appointed
  • for the fund.
  • This board received control
  • of the property of the University of Louisiana.
  • Thus, Tulane University came into being.
  • Situated in a beautiful residential
  • section of New Orleans, some 85 buildings
  • stand on a campus of more than 100 acres.
  • All students are taught here except those in the junior,
  • senior, and postgraduate classes of the School of Medicine.
  • These are instructed in the Hutchinson Memorial Building
  • in the downtown section of the city.
  • ♪♪
  • In the beginning,
  • this institution was created to educate young men.
  • But what of the education of young women?
  • That was a much debated subject in the late 1800s.
  • Mrs. Josephine Louise Newcomb provided an answer.
  • In 1886, she donated $100,000 for creation
  • of a woman's college to be named in honor of
  • her late daughter, Harriet Sophie Newcomb.
  • This gift was supplemented at Mrs. Newcomb’s death
  • by a final request of $2,700,000.
  • The original Newcomb College was situated several miles
  • from the present Tulane campus.
  • But in 1918,
  • the Tulane grounds were enlarged by the purchase
  • of additional land
  • and the college was moved to its present location.
  • The erection of these buildings was then begun,
  • and a unique educational pattern was established.
  • Newcomb became a coordinate college of Tulane,
  • the first such undertaking in the history of higher education.
  • Under this organization, Newcomb shares university facilities.
  • Yet, advantages of a separate women's college exist
  • since Newcomb retains its individuality
  • through separate buildings and campus
  • within the university grounds.
  • This type of organization was to be followed
  • in later years by Radcliffe, Barnard, and Pembroke.
  • Today, young women may study music, the fine arts,
  • languages, and other liberal arts courses at Newcomb.
  • But yet,
  • if they wish to specialize in fields not available at Newcomb,
  • they may study in one of the many professional courses
  • offered by other colleges of the University.
  • ♪♪
  • Fourteen students attended the first medical lectures
  • back in the 1830s.
  • Today, Tulane's 13 colleges and divisions
  • provide study and research for 7000 students.
  • ♪♪
  • Students may register for study in one of many fields
  • that provide
  • the training necessary to serve contemporary society.
  • Basis for this study is a Liberal Arts Program,
  • foundation of a Tulane education for many decades.
  • The College of Arts and Sciences for men and Newcomb College
  • for women, prepares students to fulfill
  • the duties and responsibilities of citizenship.
  • They also give the broad foundation needed and required
  • for professional study and specialization.
  • Philosophy and the other humanities...
  • music and the fine arts stimulate the senses,
  • imagination, and critical judgment of the students,
  • and enable them to evaluate and appreciate the culture
  • of which they are a part.
  • ♪♪
  • In other fields,
  • the students may investigate the social orders of the past,
  • those which have most influenced our civilization of today.
  • They will learn to compare and contrast the older civilization
  • with contemporary society,
  • and then study the transformation
  • to better understand the social problems of our times.
  • From studies of the basic natural laws,
  • will grow an appreciation
  • of the phenomena of the universe in which man exists.
  • Through lectures,
  • demonstrations, and research, the various kinds of matter,
  • their composition, properties, and transformation
  • take on new meaning,
  • while the laws governing their inter-relationship
  • gain significance.
  • ♪♪
  • But the students horizons are not limited to this planet.
  • For in some studies, they learn of the relationship of Earth
  • to other astronomical bodies of the universe.
  • ♪♪
  • Other Tulane divisions offer specialized courses in law,
  • social work, commerce, engineering, and medicine.
  • With a background of Roman law
  • and the later influence of English law,
  • the Tulane Law School emphasizes civil law studies
  • and comparisons of the two.
  • ♪♪
  • In support of this program, the school has developed
  • an internationally famous law library of 50,000 volumes,
  • rich in opportunity for this study
  • and in other fields as well.
  • Among the college's more recent undertakings
  • is the Law Science Institute.
  • It is aimed at promoting the use of scientific knowledge
  • and methods in legal proceedings.
  • ♪♪
  • The college's quarterly publication,
  • edited by faculty and students, is known throughout the country.
  • Its articles deal with research and opinions on various phases
  • of jurisprudence.
  • Supplementing library and classroom study,
  • the Law School conducts
  • moot court competitions for all students.
  • Under this program, an elimination system
  • begins in the freshman year and continues
  • throughout the period of study.
  • In the senior year, a final case is tried to determine
  • the winner of the college's moot court competition.
  • This program gives the student actual courtroom experience.
  • Judges from courts of the area are often invited to preside.
  • A young and vigorous law faculty guides the students
  • in these competitions.
  • The faculty prides itself on its close relationship
  • with the student.
  • ♪♪
  • The Tulane School of Social Work was the first of its kind
  • in the South and today is best known in its field.
  • It was founded more than a quarter century ago with a grant
  • from the Rockefeller Foundation
  • and conducts a two year program on the graduate level.
  • The school combines classroom theory, field work, and library
  • research in training students for social welfare work.
  • Advantageously located in the
  • metropolitan area, which offers a wealth of opportunity
  • for field work.
  • The school cooperates
  • closely with social agencies of New Orleans.
  • These agencies represent a wide range of activities
  • and methods of work.
  • Through them, much material for the study of case
  • work and community organization becomes available.
  • This program gives the student experience
  • under the direction of professional social workers.
  • It provides also a broad view of the field
  • of social welfare.
  • ♪♪
  • Classroom and field work are
  • supplemented by research in a library section,
  • especially maintained for the School of Social Work.
  • ♪♪
  • The first of all business courses in
  • the United States was offered at Tulane a century ago.
  • Today,
  • Tulane’s College of Commerce and Business Administration,
  • founded and financed in early years
  • by businessmen, offers complete training in the field.
  • Metropolitan New Orleans has long
  • been the key trading point in the Americas,
  • and its area is rapidly becoming industrialized.
  • The college here thus offers an ideal opportunity
  • to make inquiries into specific business enterprises.
  • In addition to its undergraduate teaching program,
  • the college has established a research division
  • to study actual problems of the world of commerce,
  • and offers graduate courses leading to a master's degree.
  • ♪♪
  • Visits to industrial plants are a vital part
  • of the college's training of young men and women.
  • Because of the strategic location of New Orleans
  • as a gateway to the Americas,
  • the college emphasizes foreign trade and stresses
  • the economic unity of the hemisphere.
  • ♪♪
  • Typical of Tulane's
  • development through the years is the College of Engineering.
  • It began in 1851 with one course.
  • In 1895, it expanded to a school of technology.
  • The present college came into being in 1914.
  • It offers courses in
  • chemical, civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering.
  • In its electrical engineering laboratories, students learn
  • to supervise and direct the processes of generation,
  • transmission, and distribution of electrical energy.
  • ♪♪
  • In the laboratories of the Chemical Engineering School,
  • other students are prepared to meet the manufacturing
  • and processing demands of chemical industries.
  • But the college's basic aim prevails
  • throughout all divisions.
  • The preparation of these students
  • to shoulder their responsibility
  • in the industrial development of the South.
  • One of the college's most notable achievements
  • was made almost a half century ago.
  • It was here that pumps were designed for later use
  • in major hydraulic projects in the Panama Canal,
  • the Netherlands, and the Far East.
  • ♪♪
  • In the School of Architecture,
  • students receive a basic knowledge of materials
  • and design,
  • a broad understanding of construction techniques,
  • and an opportunity to develop the cultural interests
  • and social concepts of educated citizens.
  • Alert to contemporary problems, the school cooperates
  • with surrounding communities in planning
  • and designing modern buildings.
  • The survey for the Planning
  • and Zoning Commission of New Orleans,
  • suggesting a 50 year development program for the city,
  • was one of its community contributions.
  • ♪♪
  • University College, the night division of Tulane,
  • has geared its classes
  • to the educational and cultural needs of the community.
  • Offering a great variety of subjects,
  • the college attracts not only young students,
  • but many of middle age and beyond.
  • Its enrollment is the largest of any division
  • of the university.
  • The use of contemporary
  • teaching methods and audiovisual aid techniques are emphasized
  • in its program of adult education.
  • ♪♪
  • Tulane's oldest division,
  • The School of Medicine, is adjacent
  • to one of the world's largest hospitals.
  • The students enjoy exceptional opportunity
  • for clinical study at the hospital.
  • The wards and clinics have been given in perpetuity
  • for the instruction of students in all divisions of medicine
  • and surgery.
  • ♪♪
  • More than a century old, the traditionally outstanding
  • medical school accepts only one of 25 applicants.
  • Its four year curriculum emphasizes
  • the training of well-prepared general practitioners.
  • While the Division of Graduate Medicine
  • offers courses of more specialized character,
  • the school's alumni are scattered
  • throughout the nation and all parts of the globe.
  • Their work in all fields of medicine reflects
  • Tulane's influence in private practice, public health,
  • teaching, and research.
  • One of the school's outstanding departments
  • is that of Tropical Medicine and Public Health,
  • a study unique in this country.
  • Specializing in the study of tropical diseases, of which
  • the dread malaria born by these mosquitoes is one of many,
  • the department attracts students from throughout the world.
  • ♪♪
  • This map shows where
  • Tulane graduates in this program are benefiting humanity.
  • But for any doctor, diagnosis and surgery will be
  • two of the most important phases of his work in later years.
  • At Tulane, students have adequate opportunity
  • to learn from lectures and from observation
  • of members of Tulane's world famous medical staff.
  • ♪♪
  • In addition to its teaching program, Tulane has extended
  • a number of services into the community and region.
  • Many of its faculty members are on the staffs
  • of various hospitals in New Orleans.
  • The school conducts clinics in numerous fields,
  • clinics visited by 20,000 patients each year.
  • Among other activities of the school
  • is the provision of a consultation service
  • and training for residents in some of the specialties
  • at state charity hospitals in Louisiana and Mississippi.
  • Each year, the Division of Graduate Medicine offers
  • intensive refresher courses for practicing doctors
  • and hundreds from throughout the South attend to learn
  • the latest developments in particular fields.
  • In addition to this, the medical school
  • is responsible for treatment and care of several hundred
  • bed patients at Charity Hospital.
  • These are but a few of the many services offered by Tulane
  • in the eternal battle against disease.
  • ♪♪
  • One of the most vital
  • functions of any university is its research program.
  • In every division, Tulane fosters and encourages
  • research by its faculty members and qualified students.
  • Widely varied, the programs range from studies
  • of the body's nervous system
  • to a review of humanistic scholarship in the South.
  • From sociological studies of race relations
  • to zoological surveys of wildlife of the area.
  • From control of the destructive water hyacinth
  • to educational processes
  • in early French settlements, and to many other topics.
  • Representative of such investigation
  • is the study of radioactive isotopes, one of the phases
  • in a broad biophysics research program.
  • As a member of the Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies,
  • Tulane receives regular shipments
  • from the National Laboratory in Tennessee
  • and joins the search for application of atomic energy
  • to constructive uses.
  • Discoveries of the power of steam, petroleum,
  • and electricity
  • transform the world through the Industrial Revolution
  • of the 19th century.
  • The more recent discovery of the forces buried within the atom
  • may have even greater effect
  • on the life of modern man and within our own lifetime.
  • As a source of limitless power, atomic energy
  • may transform the structure of industry.
  • As a research tool, it has already led
  • to new discoveries in the basic sciences and in medicine.
  • ♪♪
  • In the medical school, isotopic solutions
  • are now being used in special studies of cancer,
  • infectious diseases, and heart diseases.
  • One of their most important uses is in a research technique
  • in which the solutions are introduced
  • into the body and placed in the bodily processes.
  • More than 180 research programs are conducted
  • in all colleges and divisions of the university.
  • Many of them are financed by gifts and grants
  • from philanthropic organizations.
  • These programs call for a current annual expenditure
  • of $700,000.
  • ♪♪
  • Graduate study is an integral part
  • of Tulane's educational program
  • and the present Graduate School awards more than 40 master's
  • degrees and 15 doctorates in various fields.
  • Center of extensive research activity is the Howard-Tilton
  • Memorial Library,
  • one of the South's truly distinguished libraries.
  • Its collection of more than 500,000 volumes
  • provides scholars with a wealth of material for reference,
  • information, and research.
  • ♪♪
  • Through the contributions of friends of the university,
  • the library has become
  • a repository for many rare and unique volumes.
  • Typical is this Mayan manuscript more than five centuries old.
  • It is a part of the Middle American Research Institute
  • collection in the library.
  • ♪♪
  • The Middle American Research Institute studies
  • the civilizations of Latin America and preserves material
  • for research by present and future generations.
  • In addition to publishing many scientific articles,
  • the Institute has conducted nearly 30 expeditions into Latin
  • America for excavation and research.
  • ♪♪
  • Here then is Tulane today,
  • more than a century after it was founded.
  • Its hundred acre campus, green the year round
  • and with flowers always in bloom along the paths and walks,
  • offers an ideal setting for study.
  • A thousand faculty and staff members
  • teach and conduct research to further the educational,
  • cultural, and social growth of the people of the South.
  • More than a thousand courses are available
  • for a student body of 7000, attending small classes
  • that permit individual attention by the faculty.
  • Ideally situated in New Orleans, the hub of the Americas,
  • it offers to each generation in turn the foundation
  • on which to build a full life: work, play,
  • companionship, the spirit of friendly competition.
  • Tulane faces its future and the future of the world
  • with confidence.
  • Its destiny rests with you who believe in the principles
  • for which it stands.
  • ♪♪
  • [singing]
  • [film noise, scratches]