New Orleans Colleges Have a Long Way to Go

The universities and colleges in New Orleans were as affected as everyone else in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but a new report says those institutions have taken the lead in recovery efforts. So why do they still have a long way to go.

In an article on the Red Orbit website, writer Mary Beth Marklein says “in a city where the slow pace of recovery has frustrated everyone, leaders of higher education in particular deserve praise for taking ‘decisive action’… While much of New Orleans remained shut down, for example, within months of the storm most of the city’s affected colleges and universities were offering at least some classes.”

But that doesn’t mean recovery has been easy, Marklein says. “Southern University at New Orleans is still operating out of trailers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” she reports. “And, like everyone else, colleges are haggling with local, state and federal officials and with insurance companies.”

It doesn’t stop there. Marklein says internal strife has added tension as institutions try to recoup some losses; property damage alone was estimated at about $1 billion. On several campuses, faculty and staff were furloughed and departments reorganized.