Gratitude

I am entering the new year with a heart full of gratitude. I am grateful for our campuses, which are expanding with new spaces, like the Steven and Jann Paul Hall for Science and Engineering—and brimming with opportunities, like our new nursing program, to teach and learn, research and explore. I am grateful that hurricane season is behind us—and Mardi Gras season lies just ahead.

But above all, I am grateful for another year with the Tulane community. Gratitude is about recognizing and appreciating both our relationship?to?the world and our relationships?in?the world. Our students, our faculty, our staff, our alumni, our families, and our partners in New Orleans and around the world remind me of who we are and what we can do when we all come together.

We often picture gratitude like a Norman Rockwell?painting—people gathered around a feast. It is easy to be grateful in those moments, where there is abundance and harmony. But I believe we can find gratitude far from the Rockwellian dinner table, in moments both big and small—and I believe universities offer countless opportunities to encounter and express our appreciation.

For example, we can find reasons for gratitude in our researchers who tirelessly strive to understand?how?and?why. Their work is not a story of unqualified successes; it is a story of trial and error, disappointments and setbacks, dead ends and not-quites. But every step is a reason for gratitude because every step is a lesson. Every step is an example of perseverance. Every step, even a misstep, is a step closer to understanding. With understanding, we grow closer to treating and curing diseases, implementing better policies, and solving intractable problems.

We can be grateful for the lively debates inherent in communal living and learning. Debate gives us the chance to put our thoughts and feelings into words, to scrutinize our beliefs and examine their logic. When we exchange ideas—especially when we disagree—we learn to offer and receive feedback, identify gaps in our knowledge, and improve our ability to assess arguments. Free speech and open dialogue can be thorny, but difficult discussions are often the most important ones. That’s how we start to discover commonality, find compromise, and move forward.

Finally, we can be grateful for one another: the faculty who teach, research, and mentor; the students who make an ongoing commitment to New Orleans through service projects, the staff who empower our mission, and so many more. It’s inspiring to be part of a community that comes from every corner of the globe but shares a purpose and an energy unlike any other.

Our outlooks and experiences are unique, but our love of Tulane is something we all have in common. We listen to each other, challenge each other, and respect each other. We support and encourage our fellow Tulanians to fearlessly follow their passions and explore what’s possible—in 2024 and beyond.

Here’s to a new year full of gratitude—not for oneself, but for one’s own.