Behind the white Tulane School of Architecture tents that fill the Newcomb Quad stands a broad, red-brick structure adorned with white accents. Towering limestone columns cover the facade of Newcomb Hall, which is home to most of my classes as an English major. It holds classes for several departments of Tulane’s School of Liberal Arts. 

The historical architecture of Newcomb Hall contrasts with the contemporary building design of the A.B. Freeman School of Business. Sleek windowpanes cover the school’s facade and allow natural light to flood into the interior. Classrooms are supplied with advanced technology and interactive resources. The school’s renovation was estimated to cost $35 million.  

The difference between campus structures like A.B. Freeman School of Business and Newcomb Hall highlights a financial discrepancy between the schools at Tulane. The resources and programs allocated to each school are visible in the physical state of campus buildings and learning facilities. As students, we can play a role in advocating for the advancement of resources for schools with less fund allocation. 

Tulane operates on a Responsibility Centric Management budgetary model. In this model, the central university does not provide and allocate funds to the schools. Rather, fund allocation is determined by student enrollment in the schools, the number of majors, fundraising and grants. For the School of Liberal Arts, most fundraising and financial efforts are managed by Brian T. Edwards, dean of the School of Liberal Arts. 

Due to this budgetary model, there is not a direct source of blame for financial discrepancies. Active steps are being taken to address it and make the School of Liberal Arts as prosperous as possible. Since the past summer, the renovation process in Newcomb Hall is underway. According to Edwards, “historic amounts” of faculty have been hired in recent years. 

“Every single one is tremendously exciting and at the tops of their fields,” Edwards said. “That has been my first priority. [To] continue to support that faculty [and] give them more support for their research, which translates to the students.” 

In addition to this, Edwards and others have led fundraising efforts that have led to the expansion of programs like the Department of Jewish Studies and the strategy, leadership and analytics minor. The Stuart and Suzanne Grant Center for the American Jewish Experience was also established. This put the total number of departments at 16.  

These efforts all work to advance and further the School of Liberal Arts, and they are beneficial. Still, more effort must be made to develop resources, modernize spaces and promote opportunities to engage in faculty research.  

Liberal arts departments and classes can further a student’s career opportunities. For example, a student’s critical thinking ability can be furthered by research design classes in the Department of Sociology. Effective communication and understanding of social networks can be learned in media-related classes. Politically oriented classes can promote a student’s civic engagement, and the vast range of classes offered allows for interdisciplinary exposure. 

“Liberal arts learning is actually preparing you to be successful in the job market of the future,” Edwards said. “What can students do is take classes that they’re passionate about without feeling anxiety that they’re not going to have jobs to go to.” 

Through campus organizations and voluntary fundraising, students and faculty have the power to invest in the success of the School of Liberal Arts. We can work to publicize the program and highlight how liberal arts majors can produce career skills. With more focus on the school, fundraising efforts and usage of money produced outside Tulane’s budgetary system, the School of Liberal Arts can advance and modernize like Tulane’s other schools.