Architecture Program Report Tulane University New Orleans ...

2. 1. SUMMARY OF RESPONSES TO TEAM FINDINGS
PREAMBLE
As stated in their report and as is evident in the continuation of
accreditation for a six year term, the Visiting Team found the
Tulane School of Architecture Program to be successful in meeting
NAAB criteria, while in general excelling as a professional degree
education.
Specific observations by the Visiting Team identified concerns and
deficiencies in the program as discussed below. TSA believes that
these criticisms are fundamentally accurate; hence, faculty and
administration alike have endeavored to respond positively in order
to achieve the highest possible outcomes in our educational
programs.
The specific response is at follows, and is quoted verbatim from
the 2006 Focus Report submitted by the School:
The School’s Annual Report in many ways mirrors the information
sent to you for our Focus Report to NAAB’s most recent Visiting
Team Report (VTR), especially in that the Focus Report response
was sent to you less than 90 days ago. Therefore, this Annual
Report includes some of the same data, with updates that indicate
changes that have occurred since that date. The Focus Report
response to the VTR gave particular emphasis to the Financial
Resources and Physical Facilities of the school, which we believe
remains critical to understanding our condition. We have included
other material that updates our progress in the six months since
Katrina nearly destroyed New Orleans and Tulane along with it.
In the aftermath of Katrina, Tulane has radically re-organized itself
in an effort to retain its position as one of the nation’s leading
institutions of higher learning. Programs have been cut, budgets
re-organized, and the entire undergraduate student body
combined into one new college, among other changes. This
process has been complicated and demanding, especially in that
most of the changes have occurred in the semester immediately
following the storm. Many of these revisions affect the School of
Architecture, and our outlined in the attached material. We will
continue to address these changes in annual reports over the
next few years, but it is safe to say that life at this university will
never be the same again.