Newcomb Magazine


Newcomb Magazine is published once a year and features news on research updates, student activities, alumni stories, and general news about the institute.

If you have an interesting story pertaining to the institute or are an alumnae, please share any news by contacting the Newcomb Communications Team with details including your name, contact information, graduation year when applicable, and a brief description. This news may be featured in the magazine, relevant newsletter or on social. Photos are welcome and encouraged.

In this Issue:
This special issue of NEWCOMB reflects on two decades of resilience, featuring stories of how Newcomb Institute and its community preserved feminist history, supported recovery efforts and reimagined their mission in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. From archival activism to community leadership, we honor the past while looking ahead.

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Message from the Director

Dear Friends, 

As we mark the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, this special edition of Newcomb magazine offers a blend of personal stories,research insights, and forward-looking analysis to reflect on Katrina’s legacy and the ongoing work that continues in its wake. 

While preparing this issue, we acknowledged the wide range of emotions and memories Katrina evokes. For those who lived through the disaster, it stirs painful and traumatic recollections. For others, it’s a time to reflect on how far we’ve come since August 29, 2005. It’s one of those events where you remember exactly where you were when it struck — or still find yourself wondering how you got through it. At Newcomb Institute, we are deeply proud of the collective recovery efforts made by so many, and how they achieved it together, in the best way they knew how. 

In this issue, we highlight the efforts of the “Dirty Dozen,” a group of alumnae who bonded over a shared mission to volunteer and rebuild houses in New Orleans. Their initiative not only helped restore homes but also fostered deep, lifelong friendships. We also feature alumna, Allison Shapiro Dandry (NC ’03, G *06, B *16), who, inspired by the devastation, shifted her career path to create a foundation dedicated to providing community support through hot meals for those in crisis. 

We reflect on the resilience demonstrated by our students, many of whom were in college at the time. They share how experiencing Katrina firsthand shaped their lives and careers, and how the disaster solidified their commitment to making meaningful contributions to their communities. 

Through data-driven research, we explore the link between climate disasters and the increased risk of domestic violence in our city and state. These studies underscore the need for targeted response efforts and initiatives to address the most pressing challenges faced by our most vulnerable populations. 

We are especially grateful to Beth Willinger, former executive director of what was once known as the Newcomb College Center for Research on Women, for sharing a personal account of how the Newcomb Archives survived the floodwaters. The Newcomb Archives, which have grown in significance since Katrina, now serve as a vital resource, with enhanced protective measures in place to preserve the history of Newcomb College and the legacy of women in the Gulf South. 

What we know for certain is that women were — and remain — at the heart of New Orleans’ resilience after Hurricane Katrina. But rebuilding and continuing to thrive takes the efforts of all of us, working together, to ensure the success of our community for years to come. 

Sincerely, 
Anita Raj, Ph.D., 
M.S. Executive Director
Newcomb Institute of Tulane University 
Professor, Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health
Tulane University Nancy Reeves Dreux Chair of Women and Public Health

From the NAA President

Dear Fellow Alums, 

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina — an anniversary that calls us to remember, to reflect and to honor the strength and resilience of our Newcomb community. 

Over the past several months, I’ve spent time listening to alums who lived through those harrowing days in August 2005. Many have shared stories of evacuation and uncertainty, of loss and rebuilding, of returning to a changed New Orleans. What I’ve heard most often is not just sorrow, but strength. Again and again, Newcomb alums rose to the moment — caring for loved ones, organizing mutual aid, rebuilding homes and institutions and speaking up for a better, more equitable city. 

Katrina was a defining moment. It marked the end of Newcomb College as a coordinate college of Tulane, a loss that still stirs deep feelings for many. And yet, it also marked the beginning of something new: the founding of Newcomb Institute. Created to honor and carry forward the values at the heart of the Newcomb experience — leadership, service, feminist learning, and community — Newcomb Institute has, over the past 19 years, supported thousands of students in their personal and academic growth. It is not a replacement for what was lost but a legacy in motion. 

I am one of those students. Newcomb Institute invested in me, challenged me and helped me find my voice as a leader. It gave me the confidence to step into public service and pursue a career in policy. Through Newcomb Institute, I found community, mentorship and purpose — and I feel deeply connected to the spirit of Newcomb and the generations of women who came before me. 

At the same time, we recognize that legacy and loss can coexist. For many alums, Newcomb College was not just a school but an identity. While the Newcomb Institute continues its important work, we know there is still yearning for deeper connection to the history, rituals and sense of belonging that Newcomb College once provided. Your memories, your stories and your continued involvement help us honor that past while shaping the future. 

Today, we continue to grow and evolve as a community. Whether through book clubs, Newcomb Networking Night, city-based meetups, our beloved Under the Oaks ceremony or other initiatives, we are finding ways to gather, to reflect and to support one another. 

As we reflect on the 20 years since the storm, I invite you to share your stories — of hardship, of healing and of how Newcomb shaped the way you moved through that time. We want to honor your experience, learn from it and carry it forward. It’s through this intergenerational community — one rooted in compassion, strength, and shared purpose — that I’ve come to better understand what it means to be a Newcomb alum. 

Whatever your path since graduation, the Newcomb Alumnae Association is your home. A space of memory and momentum. A space where your story matters. 

Warmly, 
Maggie Herman (PHTM ’15) 
President, Newcomb Alumnae Association

Newcomb Magazine