Joining in a University-wide effort to accommodate displaced college students from the Gulf Coast
region after Hurricane Katrina, McIntire welcomed five students from Tulane University for the fall semester. In all, the University has enrolled 140 students, 128 of whom are undergraduates, from the stricken region. “We are pleased that we had the resources to help these students continue their education,” says McIntire Dean Carl Zeithaml. “The McIntire community is doing everything it can to ensure that the new students’ transition is as smooth as possible, both academically and socially.” The students will have access to all McIntire resources, including McIntire’s
career services.
Robert Miller, who had planned to graduate from Tulane this year with a degree in finance, says that the welcome he’s received so far has been heartening. “My friends from school are scattered across the country—that’s kind of unsettling and disappointing. But everyone at U.Va. and McIntire has been so supportive. I arrived here by myself, and they just took me in. In my classes, people were happy to give me their notes or to sit down with me and tell me what was going on. People were willing to give me their time, which was really nice.”
Miller, who had planned to get a master’s degree in finance from Tulane
after his graduation, remains uncertain about his future at the school. “There are so many problems that have to be overcome, and it’s so hard to put a timeframe on them,” he says.
Still, Miller realizes how lucky he’s been. “Compared to so many others, my story isn’t too dramatic,” he reflects. “I’m thankful for that.”
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