Brown and Princeton universities have taken Hurricane Katrina-relief aid to the next level.
The schools have teamed up to help rebuild Dillard University, a historically black New Orleans school that was devastated by the hurricane.
Immediately after Katrina hit, the campus was nearly all underwater, and five buildings had burned to the ground.
"When we heard about the tragedy, our first conversations were, 'How can we help?'" Princeton spokeswoman Cass Cliatt said.
Penn currently has not announced any plans to assist in major rebuilding projects in New Orleans.
Princeton and Brown are still in the preliminary stages of the planning process.
Because the site where Dillard lies is in the heart of New Orleans and has not yet dried, officials from Brown and Princeton have yet to travel to the area.
Only after the area is considered safe will representatives begin assessing the damage and defining their role in the rebuilding project.
Officials from Dillard remain scattered across the country and could not be reached for comment.
Both Brown and Princeton still have to decide what sort of aid each will provide and where they will specialize, whether it be in personnel, equipment or money.
Princeton chose to help repair Dillard specifically after learning that the school had borne some of the most extensive damage from the disaster, and Brown has some personal connections to the school.
Brown President "Ruth Simmons is an alum [of Dillard], and it was obvious that they had suffered quite a bit, so we decided to help," Brown spokesman Mark Nickel said.
Nickel added that Dillard's reputation of reaching out to students from disadvantaged backgrounds also contributed to the school's decision.
"Higher education has always been a way forward after tragedy, and this is a school that has always served people who might not have the wealth or connections but [do have] the talent and desire to be successful," Nickel said.
When Princeton officials made an initial inquiry into aiding Dillard, they learned of Brown's similar intentions, and the schools' presidents decided to make it a joint effort.
Organizers say this combination will make the relief effort more successful, since each school can specialize in departments in which it has expertise.
"They will have a long road to recovery, and they are going to need people who are experts in facilities, academic programs, etc., and we have people who have been in staff positions and have an array expertise and talent," Nickel said.
Cliatt said that Princeton has a strong architecture program and will be able to assist with infrastructural issues.
Even though the project is in its earliest stages, there have already been some tangible results.
Brown alumnus Sidney Frank has donated $5 million to the university specifically for the purpose of helping to relieve problems that face higher education as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
"From the getting-organized perspective, we have been moving pretty quickly," Nickel said, adding that Brown will soon be appointing a head of the project.
While both schools will be providing immediate aid in the rebuilding effort, they realize it is an extremely long-term process.
"We will help to get them up and running, but bringing them back to where they were will be more of a process, and we are in it for the long run," Nickel said.
