“It didn’t look very good, but it tasted just fine,” Bopp says.
Beyond the physical possessions swept away, Katrina may have washed away old rivalries and jealousies. The private institutions, for example — Dillard, Loyola, Tulane and Xavier — have formed a consortium to share expertise and resources. Dillard’s offices near the Superdome are rented from Tulane at a generously discounted rate.
At the same time, new relationships are forming. Dillard has been
“adopted” by Brown and Princeton universities, forging a partnership between three female university presidents: Hughes, Dr. Ruth Simmons of Brown, a Dillard alumna, and Dr. Shirley Tilghman of Princeton.“There are times when the three of us are on a conference call problem-solving an issue, and I just almost want to pinch myself,” Hughes says. “It’s a great privilege to have the vast expertise of those two institutions and the support emotionally and personally of those two presidents.”
And life in general is moving at a blistering pace, especially for Francis, who is at the epicenter of rebuilding efforts not just at Xavier but for the entire state. He was a key partner in a mid-February negotiation with the Bush administration that resulted in the president’s committing to ask Congress for an additional $4.2 billion in recovery funds for the state.
“Historically Black institutions have a legacy of serving this state and this nation with leadership, and we in New Orleans refuse to let that mission and that legacy be diminished,” Francis says.
“I made the remark when we decided to reopen that historians will write that we were naïve or stupid or that this was a bold, visionary initiative,” he says. “I think it’s clear our vision for coming back is being affirmed.”
© Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com
