Memories of hope, visions of mediocrity

David Filo has been suspiciously silent about Scott Cowen's gutting of Tulane Engineering. 

As you may recall, David Filo, founder of Yahoo! and Tulane Engineering alumnus, donated funds to create the Yahoo! Founders Chair in computer science and engineering at Tulane.  Then, he and Jim Clark, founder of Silicon Graphics and Netscape, together donated $60M to Tulane.

When Scott Cowen eliminated Engineering and Computer Science from Tulane, he also got his hands on the Yahoo! endowment.  Now, I noticed that in March of this year, Ulrike Diebold, in the physics department, has been named "Yahoo! founder chair in science and engineering".  Yeah...ok.  I don't really think that was Filo's intent, but who can tell at this point, since he's remained silent?

The $60M is obviously not being used for scholarships in computer science or engineering.

Also, note that Filo and Yang continue to support the Yahoo!founders chair in Engineering.  At Stanford.

Tulane Engineering...Rest in Peace.

Comments

[E.J.]

I thought this was going to be about our elections, based on the title. But this is just as much a shame. Either way, My expected daily quota of discouragement has been fulfilled. Ashley, you're a giver. ;-)

[Ray]

Ya know, why bother funding computer science endowments when all those grads are gonna want to go work for Google anyway? Christ, Yahoo could roll over and die tomorrow and other than tweaking my Trillian client it wouldn't even be a blip.

[Richard P.]

That's just so completely disgusting I can hardly describe. If Cowen has some vision of Tulane becoming a strictly liberal arts college then fine. I would have nothing against him honestly and candidly articulating a particular vision and explaining his reasoning as to why that would be the best course and so on. Let's know where he stands and have a real dialogue. That's the way a genuine believer in the academic ideal would have done it. However, he hasn't done that at all. Instead, secretively drawing up his grand reorganization, using the flooding and ensuing situation for the university as an excuse/opportunity to push his plan (parts of which clearly had nothing to do with addressing any financial crisis) on everyone as an all-or- nothing deal **without discussion, debate or negotiation** and then ending up with a decidedly half-ass product.

What we have in Cowen (as well as in Nagin) is a business leader-wannabe, as in a mercurial "got to jump on the opportunity of the moment/maximize the bottom line" type. If he's so great in business then why isn't he actually in business, then?

The saddest part is how so many are so completely smitten with "he saved the university so we can never question anything he says or does...."

[fofalex]

Wait a minute...Jim Clark, UNO Alumnus, gave millions to Tulane?!? I guess UNO, being a state school, doesn't need the money, except the state was self insured for a fraction of their losses, and spent most of it on the Superdome and anything else but UNO. At least they have an engineering program.

[Beth]

fofalex, yep, that's right. Clark went to UNO; I don't know if he couldn't get in Tulane, or couldn't afford it, but I guess he's got the money to get over his inferiority complex now. UNO can't get a break.

[ashley]

Actually, Clark started at Tulane's University College at night, and then graduated from UNO.

It's all there in da Wikipedia.