Endowments & Service
Newcomb Institute is fortunate to have funds functioning as endowment supporting our work. These amounts are now valued at approximately $46 million and generate almost $2 million for our programs each year. Other endowment funds generate an additional $1 million for our programs annually. The Newcomb Foundation Board ensures that Newcomb Institute spends that money wisely.
Endowments and funds functioning as endowments do not meet the full financial cost of operating Newcomb Institute, which also funds in part the activities of the Newcomb Alumnae Association. Annual support from alumnae and friends provides critical funds to enhance the services and opportunities necessary to continue our work of feminist education and knowledge production at Tulane University.
A gift of $2,500+ to Newcomb Institute’s Annual Fund earns membership to Tulane’s Associates program. Tulane Associates are alumni, parents and friends who invest in the university’s mission by making annual unrestricted leadership gifts. Additionally, named gifts support a variety of other activities, including the Newcomb Archives, grants, and our annual lecture series. Learn more at newcomb.tulane.edu/annual-programs.
The Alberto-Culver Lecture Series
The Alberto-Culver Lecture Series, established by Carol Lavin Bernick (NC ’74), invites distinguished, nationally recognized professional women to campus to meet with students and discuss pertinent topics about women in business. In recent years, the selection of the annual Alberto-Culver lecturer has become a highly anticipated collaboration between the Newcomb Institute and the Tulane Women in Business student organization, which the Institute supports. Recent Alberto-Culver lecturers include: Anne Segrest McCulloch, Barbara Jones, Nina Compton, Angela Rye, and Amanda Zuckerman.
The Florie Gale Arons (NC ’50) Poetry Forum
Since 1999, the annual Florie Gale Arons Poetry Program has brought a distinguished woman-identified poet to campus for a poetry reading and workshop. The program was established by the daughters of Florie Gale Arons (NC ’50) in honor of their mother’s 70th birthday, and family and friends assure that it continues today in her memory. Recent Arons Visting Poets include: Kiki Petrosino, Khadijah Queen, Layli Long Soldier, Morgan Parker, and Anne Boyer.
The Betty Werlein Carter (NC ’31) Lecture
The Betty Werlein Carter (NC ’31) Lecture, established by the family and friends of the alumna, provides women students with information training, experience, contacts and involvement in the public policy arena. Recent Carter lecturers include: Rebecca Campbell, Angela Tucker, Dalton Tiegs, Rebecca Merton, and Wagatwe Wanjuki.
Bonquois Postdoctoral Fellowship
The Newcomb Institute hosts postdoctoral fellows whose work aligns with our mission in women’s history. For the Bonquois fellowship we invite applicants whose research is intersectional and engages with priority interest areas, including women and politics, feminist social and political movements, gender-based violence, and/or sexual and reproductive health and rights.
The Custard Lecture
The Custard Lecture, funded by Marla Custard (NC ’91) brings speakers connected to the LGBTQ+ community to campus. Recent Custard lecturers include: Libby Sharrow, Alyssa Lederer, Katherine Johnson, Regina Kunzel, Alicia Gariza, and Elizabeth Alexander
Adele Ramos Salzer (NC ’40) Lecture and Reading Series
The Adele Ramos Salzer (NC ’40) Lecture and Reading Series was created by a donation from this dedicated alumna and volunteer and has been generously strengthened through gifts in her memory from her family, friends, and classmates. The series supports academic programs focusing on women’s experiences in higher education. Former Salzer lecturers include: Nancy S. Niemi, Lisa Wade, Anthony Jack, Caroline Heldman, and Susan Komives.
Emily Schoenbaum (NC ’88) Grant
The Emily Schoenbaum Grant was initiated by a 1988 Newcomb College graduate, aims to empower women and girls in the New Orleans region through impactful projects. Originally from Charleston, WV, Emily relocated to New Orleans in 1984 to attend Newcomb College. After earning a B.A. in Women’s Studies and Sociology in 1988, she worked for Greenpeace in Washington, D.C. Later, she pursued a master’s in Elementary Education and a graduate degree in Environmental Policy.
The Zale-Kimmerling Writer-In-Residence Program
The Zale-Kimmerling Writer-in-Residence Program provides a unique opportunity for students and members of the university community to meet with a notable woman writer as she spends a week on campus. The program was established by Dana Zale Gerard (NC ’85) and made possible by an annual gift from the M.B. and Edna Zale Foundation of Dallas, Texas. In 2010, the program became fully endowed through a gift from Martha McCarty Wells (NC ’63). Recent Zale-Kimmerling Writers-in-Residence include: Min Jin Lee, Brit Bennett, Valeria Luiselli, Lauren Groff, and N.K. Jemisin.