Hundreds of higher education faculty lost their jobs in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans' colleges and universities were forced to cancel fall semester classes after the city's levee system failed, submerging 80 percent of the city just weeks before the academic year began. Damage assessments began even before the deadly storm's floodwaters had receded, and it wasn't until the full scope of the destruction was known that university officials could begin the Herculean task of recovery and repair. With most of their students scattered across the country, tuition for the spring semester was a fraction of its normal amount. Add the enormous costs of repairing the damage from the hurricane, and most of the universities were left with little choice but to trim their faculty ranks. Yet, biding their time in out-of-state teaching positions, New Orleans faculty members are optimistic about a post-Katrina return to the "Big Easy."