Architecture Program Report Tulane University New Orleans ...

D. Threats
1. Hurricane Katrina
The post-Katrina environment, including the threat to capital investments and the
depletion of the endowment due to the catastrophe constitutes the most significant threat
to the future of the School. This threat is general to not only Tulane University, but to the
City and region as well. However, the School chooses to see this event as both a
strength and opportunity for both change and renewal through the development of new
curricula centered around Urban Design and the reinforcement of other traditions within
the School, such as Service Learning and enhanced academic advising.
1. Facilities [NAAB VTR]
The continued deterioration and obsolescence of the Richardson Memorial Building is
one of the most serious threats to the ongoing success of the School. Prospective
students and parents often make adverse comparisons between the Tulane School of
Architecture and competitor institutions and may choose to go elsewhere. Furthermore,
the NAAB Visiting Team has consistently identified the facilities as seriously flawed,
potentially affecting learning outcomes and achievement of the School's mission, and
have emphatically informed us that these conditions will affect our accreditation. A
decline in the satisfaction of our graduates and reputation of the program may, in both
the short- and long-term, contribute to a drop in enrollment.
2. Information/Computing Technology [NAAB VTR]
While some progress has been made in this area, it is not yet enough to forestall
criticism of the information, computing and design technology in the School of
Architecture. As noted elsewhere in this report, the program lags in fully integrating
computing technology throughout the facility and the curriculum (though the facility has
marginally improved in this respect). Current and prospective students are well aware of
the role these new technologies have in professional life and the necessity to achieve
mastery of these technologies for career success. Increasingly students will elect to
study at other institutions that offer these opportunities. The School will also lose
credibility with alumni and the professional community for not sufficiently addressing an
obvious pedagogical need and professional skills. The NAAB Visiting Team has informed
us that the lack of progress in this area will affect accreditation.
3. Faculty/Staff Salaries [NAAB VTR]
As both internal and external statistics demonstrate, the faculty and staff are seriously
underpaid for the commitment and contributions they make to the School and University.
Without some progress towards equitable compensation, morale will continue to decline,
affecting both performance and outcome. While true across the board, this is particularly
the case with mid-career personnel, who believe their economic progress to be severely
limited. **
4. The continued depression of faculty and staff salaries
The continued depression of faculty and staff salaries is a source of ongoing—and
critical—concern. Faculty and staff are paid not only below national levels, but regional