NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane University building that for more than half a century housed the School of Social Work will soon become the Center for Student Success, thanks to a $5 million gift from David Mussafer, a 1985 graduate of Tulane, and his wife Marion.
The Center for Student Success, which will be located in the renamed Mussafer Hall, will house the Academic Advising Center, Career Services and the Success Center.
“David Mussafer himself is a model of the success that great academic and career planning can achieve,” Tulane President Mike Fitts said. “Tulane is indebted to him for this remarkable gift. His generosity will make us one of the few universities in the country to combine in one central location services dedicated to the success of students in their academics, careers and lives.”
Mussafer said he was drawn to the project after discussing Tulane’s needs with Fitts during a recent visit to campus with his father, Maurice Mussafer.
“It struck a chord with us,” David Mussafer said. “Young people are looking to take their studies and careers to the next level, and how great it will be to have a central place in the heart of campus to showcase these very important services.”
Mussafer is managing partner and co-chairman of the executive committee of Advent International, a Boston-based global private equity firm. He is a member of the Board of Tulane, the President’s Council at Tulane and founder of the Mussafer Family Endowment Fund, which supports the Cowen Institute for Public Education. He received a bachelor of science in management from the A.B. Freeman School of Business and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
The 16,000-square-foot building is currently being renovated, and plans are in the works to add a 7,400-square-foot extension in 2017. Together, the two buildings will feature 72 private offices, a multipurpose room, a research room, conference and breakout rooms, flexible use spaces, and an outdoor study space.
Mussafer said he is honored to contribute. “Tulane holds a special place in my heart,” he said. “My parents met there, and it was a great launching pad for me to start my career.”
