New Campus to Open

Tulane University's plans to open another campus are coming to fruition. Madison, Miss., will be the new home for Tulane courses, with the first students taking classes this summer.

Tulane University is airing television commercials in Mississippi, and courses at the Madison campus will begin on June 1.

A television commercial promotes the new Madison, Miss., campus of Tulane University. View the video.

The expansion in the town just north of Jackson, Miss., came after discussions with eight-term Madison Mayor Mary Hawkins-Butler and city officials who wanted to attract a university to their growing planned community of nearly 30,000 people.

The classes could draw from a population of 600,000 living within a half-hour's drive.

"When I saw the city's demographics and profile I was quite impressed," says Rick Marksbury, dean of the School of Continuing Studies.

Last June, the Mississippi Commission on College Accreditation approved the Tulane plan. Marksbury says the city of Madison will renovate a wing of the former elementary school in the heart of town to house university offices and classrooms.

Tulane President Scott Cowen adds, "We look forward to expanding Tulane's presence in Mississippi and working with the Madison community."

Based on the results of a survey of Madison citizens, Marksbury is planning to offer courses in business, applied computing, journalism and liberal arts.

"We have a three-year arrangement to see what it's like, what the students' interests are and what the reception is," adds the dean. The school also operates a campus in Biloxi, Miss.