Duke University (DU)

Duke University was created in 1924 by James Buchanan Duke as a memorial to his father, Washington Duke. The Dukes, a Durham family that built a worldwide financial empire in the manufacture of tobacco products and developed electricity production in o products and developed electricity production in the Carolinas, long had been interested in Trinity College. Trinity traced its roots to 1838 in nearby Randolph County when local Methodist and Quaker communities opened Union Institute. The school, then named Trinity College, moved to Durham in 1892, where Benjamin Newton Duke served as a primary benefactor and link with the Duke family until his death in 1929. In December 1924, the provisions of indenture by Benjamin’s brother, James B. Duke, created the family philanthropic foundation, The Duke Endowment, which provided for the expansion of Trinity College into Duke University. As a result of the Duke gift, Trinity underwent both physical and academic expansion. The original Durham campus became known as East Campus when it was rebuilt in stately Georgian architecture. West Campus, Gothic in style and dominated by the soaring 210-foot tower of Duke Chapel, opened in 1930. East Campus served as home of the Woman’s College of Duke University until 1972, when the men’s and women’s undergraduate colleges merged. Both men and women undergraduates now enroll in either the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences or the Pratt School of Engineering. In 1995, East Campus became the home for all first-year students. Play Video Video showing an aerial rising shot on Chapel Drive coming into focus on Duke Chapel As we look ahead to our second century, our strategic vision is an invitation for all of us—faculty, students, staff, alumni, and friends of the university—to think together about our turn to the future, about how we can remain true to the Duke we have always been while charting our course toward the Duke we are destined to become. Together, we will marshal our collective talents toward addressing the great challenges of our day, define a new twenty-first-century model of the research university, foster a more inclusive and equitable campus and world, partner with purpose in service to our community, and advance humankind. Duke is the place where the world’s brightest minds go to meet the most important challenges. We recognize that their accomplishments comprise the true measure of our institutional excellence. Recruit and support extraordinary faculty, staff, and students by building endowments to support faculty chairs and expanding financial aid for students Provide them the resources to conduct cutting-edge research Identify the world’s most pressing problems to address Create opportunity for diverse experience to bring novel approaches to problem-solving Duke will rethink our undergraduate, graduate, and professional education strategies to create innovative, team- based pedagogies and curricula, to take advantage of new technological opportunities, and to build a robust and responsive learning community that includes everyone. Invest in interdisciplinary, team-based and problem-focused teaching Leverage faculty research in the curriculum Center the liberal arts in a new, innovative learning ecosystem Facilitate risk-taking and lower the barriers to collaboration Offer students integrated intellectual pathways and deepen their engagement with research Working to ensure that all who call Duke home share a lived experience that is increasingly inclusive, equitable, engaging, healthy and vibrant. Duke seeks to be a diverse and stimulating campus that promotes personal growth among all of our students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Cultivate a strong, healthy, inclusive, and respectful community of learners and doers Make racial and social equity the foundation of the Duke community Give students the opportunity to explore a wide range of ideas and develop healthy lifestyles throughout their time on campus Offer students the resources and support they need to truly thrive at Duke, including a comprehensive wellness and student-health program Seek to make Duke a more environmentally sustainable university Duke is a diverse community committed to the principles of excellence, fairness, and respect for all people. As part of this commitment, we actively value diversity in our workplace and learning environments as we seek to take advantage of the rich backgrounds and abilities of everyone. We believe that when we understand, celebrate, and tap into our uniqueness to creatively solve problems and address shared goals, our possibilities are limitless. The Office for Institutional Equity helps advance Duke’s culture of diversity, inclusion, equality, and belonging through educational opportunities and resources. ...view more