Tulane University

Lonely Planet review

The Tulane University was founded in 1834 as the Medical College of Louisiana in an attempt to control the repeated cholera and yellow-fever epidemics. In 1847, the University of Louisiana merged with the school. Paul Tulane's around US$1 million donation in 1883 initiated significant expansion - plus it immortalized his name. The highly regarded medical school has since moved downtown to Tulane Ave. Tulane's law programme is also well respected.

Tulane now boasts 22,000 students in 11 colleges and schools, including a law school and school of medicine. Among the university's most noted graduates are the president of France, Jacques Chirac, who wrote a thesis on the port of New Orleans, and former speaker of the US House of Representatives Newt Gingrich, who opposed university censorship of the student newspaper in 1968.

The University Center features a bookstore, ATM and a box office (861-9283) that sells tickets for sporting and special events.

Downstairs there's a bulletin board for information on apartment rentals, sublets and ride shares. The Hullabaloo, the campus newspaper published during the school year, is a good source for campus happenings, such as free Friday open-air concerts and work opportunities.