Tulane Pres. Emeritus Chairs New Orleans Advisory Board

Tulane University President Emeritus and Distinguished University Professor Dr. Scott S. Cowen is a powerful voice for the City of New Orleans, public education and The Posse Foundation.

Scott’s 16-year tenure at Tulane was defined largely by Hurricane Katrina, the 2005 storm that was accompanied by massive flooding that devastated New Orleans. His leadership in the days, months and years following have been instrumental in restoring and improving the city.

“One of the tasks we took on after Katrina was to totally reimagine and rebuild the public education system,” says Scott. “That system has been dramatically improved from what it was before Katrina and we’re seeing great progress in student achievement.”

A native of New Jersey, Scott received his undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut, served in the U.S. Army for three years, and earned both his master’s and doctorate in business administration from George Washington University. He briefly taught at Bucknell University before beginning a 23-year tenure at Case Western Reserve University. He left Case Western as dean of the school of management to become the 14th president of Tulane.

When Tulane and Posse first established a partnership in 2008 to select Scholars from Los Angeles, Scott was hopeful New Orleans would one day have its own Posse chapter—and it has, since 2011. To date, Tulane has selected six Posses from Los Angeles and four from New Orleans.

“I thought to have New Orleans as a Posse city would create inspiration and hope for young people to attend a highly selective institution,” Scott says. “Posse Scholars are a diverse group and the points of view that they bring to the educational process are to everyone’s benefit.”

Scott has hardly been idle since stepping down as president of the university. He is a distinguished university professor at Tulane, chair of the Posse New Orleans Advisory Board, senior advisor for the Boston Consulting Group, a widely published author, and he sits on a number of corporate and foundation boards. In addition, he serves as the advisory board chair for the Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives, the mission of which is to advance public education and youth success in New Orleans and beyond.

“Scott’s commitment to young people in the city of New Orleans is unrivaled,” says Posse President and Founder Deborah Bial. “He is an incredible advocate for the Posse program. We couldn’t hope for a chair more committed to expanding opportunity for young people.”