Goodbye, Scotty C.

Scott and me, circa 2009

Oof. I have been contemplating this post for a few months now and how the best way to go about saying goodbye to a guy who has, in every sense of the word, been my hero the past ten years. You may have gotten to take a look at the New Wave story I wrote about one of my first interactions with President Cowen all those years ago. It was the last in the series of "Great Scott" memories, and I am honored to have been the closer in that group. Before we say goodbye to Scott at the end of this month, I think it's important for my blog readers to let soak in what a great dude Scott really is. How about we chat about the top 5 most incredible things in his presidency? Here goes:

5) Award-winning: Although he is super humble, he's probably one of the most decorated university presidents currently in office. Need proof? Time Magazine named him one of the top ten University presidents. He was one of only four university leaders nationwide to receive the Carnegie Corporation Academic Leadership Award back in 2009. Not to mention he's been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, was appointed by Obama to the White House Council for Community Solutions and, most notably, is the current chair of the uber-prestigious Association of American Universities. He's been named New Orleanian of the year by the Times-Picayune and Gambit Weekly. I could go on.

4) Growth-driving:  Scott arrived at Tulane in 1998 and since then, the number of students applying to Tulane has quadrupled. Each year, we recruit a class that is academically even stronger than the previous year. The university currently stands at the largest it has ever been, in both undergraduate and graduate enrollment. In the last 8 years, Tulane has invested over $700 million in new and renovated buildings and facilities on campus. Our campus today looks vastly different than when Scott took office 16 years ago.

Scott with Ellen, one of the many incredible grad speakers he brought in. 

3) Money-rasin': Fundraising has also soared since Scott made it a top priority after he took office. Just this month, the Council of Advancement and Support of Education (CASE, the definitive national organization for university fundraising) awarded Tulane the Fundraising Award in the "overall improvement" category. Tulane has more than doubled the level of total private giving. Scott championed Promise and Distinction, the largest university fundraising effort in the history of Louisiana. It raised over $700 million!

2) Community Engaging: This year, in an effort to honor Scott, the Tulane community donated 780,347 hours of community service in his name. Want me to repeat that? Seven hundred eighty thousand, three hundred forty seven hours! Not to mention Scott was the driving force behind the implementation of the public service gradation component at Tulane, as well as the creation of the Tulane Center for Public Service. Top it off, under his leadership, the Scott Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives, aka the Cowen Institute, was created. In case you haven't been following the news, the turnaround in New Orleans public education system has been one of the most remarkable in educational history.

Scott standing in floodwater out front of Reily 

1) Recovery-driving: Nowhere has Scott been more of a hero to me than in our post-Katrina recovery. I'll never forget sitting in a dark hotel room in Richmond, VA after I evacuated there with the bare-bones staff of the Office of Admission, and reading (though some serious tears) all the blogs about Tulane. One post still resonates with me to this day. The mood was dark, the posts were very negative and one kind poster anonymously posted: "Stick a fork in yourselves, Tulane. Cuz you're done." And for a while there, I believed it. How could a school, under water and having sustained over 600 million in damages, in a city left for dead, possibly recover? Looking back now, it is tough to find the words to describe it all. Under Scott's leadership, we didn't just recover. We flourished. I can tell you first-hand, Tulane is, under almost all accounts, truly a better, smarter, and stronger school than we were back in 2005. From his courageous and controversial Renewal Plan to being named a member of the Bring New Orleans Back Commission, Scott truly led this school through one of the darkest times in ANY university's history. If you ever wonder why I call him my hero, this is why.

I'll leave you with the unabridged version of the story I wrote for the New Wave. I had to edit it down for length for the story, so here the full version. Oh and Scott, if you happen to read this: Thank you.

Scott and Anderson Cooper

Sometime in late September of 2005, I was in a hotel in Dallas getting ready to give the first presentation of my Tulane admission career to a massive group of high school students and their parents. The flood waters were still receding in NOLA and Tulane had recently announced they would not reopen till spring. So the presentation was a bit of a rubbernecking occurrence- everyone wanted to come hear what the deal with Tulane was- kind of like slowing down to see a car wreck. My three weeks of training had been cancelled, so this would be the first time in my career I ever presented Tulane to an audience. 


As I was prepping the ballroom for the event, my phone rang. It was my home inspector who inspected the home my father and I had purchased in NOLA a few weeks before the storm. He'd made it back to the house at my request to check on it. I'll never forget his exact words; "every movable object in the house has been destroyed." There was my confirmation; I had lost everything. No matter, the show must go on!
A few minutes later, t-minus 30 minutes till the event, my phone rang again. It was my Dad. 

"Dad, I can't talk. I am about to give my first Tulane presentation."

Dad: "I know, but hang on I have someone who wants to say something."

"Ugh, okay but make it quick! The home inspector just called and-"

"Jeff. Hi. This is Scott Cowen." 
(at this point it should be noted that my parents were attending one of Scott's "please come back to Tulane" events in DC)

"Hello? This is Scott."

Me: "... Shut up."

SC: "No, really, this is Scott."

Me: "Seriously? Shut UP!" (I think I had some maturing to do back then)

SC: "Um, well. Anyways. Your dad tells me you work for Tulane and are out there fighting the good fight for us right now." 

Me: "Oh wow, um. Yes, sir, I am about to speak to a big group here in Dallas."

SC: "Great. Well, I am really happy you are out there doing all you can. I am confident that eventually we will be okay, but do me a favor... make me proud out there, ok?"

Jeff: ".... (speechless, awestruck 22 year old).... Yes Sir!"

I hung up, got in front of that group, and thanks to Scott, I knocked that presentation out of the park. I even told them "the President just called me to say hi!" Some of my best recruits came out of that night too. Something told me that after that call, with Scott at the helm, Tulane would somehow be okay, just like he said. 

Nearly ten years later, I can say that I am the one who is proud. Proud that I got to spend this time with him as the best leader a guy could as for. Proud to be a part of this whole recovery of a great institution. And certainly proud to call Scott my boss but also my hero.

Scott dyes his hair green for every Homecoming game. 

Scott, Laura Meagher from the Office of Admission and I at one of his ten thousand going away parties. 

Last week Tulane renamed the circle out front of campus! 

We'll miss you, Scott. (photo from Time Magazine)

Scott on McAlister Dr. after Katrina. 

Scott with his wife Margie and their dog Gibson (RIP)
who he used to bring to move-in day each year.