Duke's global strategy received a warm welcome in Washington, D.C., Tuesday as Greg Jones, the university's chief international strategist, and others met with a variety of domestic and foreign leaders.
Jones and Nora Bynum, Duke's Director of Global Strategy, traveled to Washington, DC, to highlight Duke's efforts that span all of its 10 schools and both the faculty and student bodies.
Since being named head of the Office of Global Strategy and Programs in March of 2010, Jones has focused on creating systems and infrastructure to support Duke's global programs and partnerships, as well as building new relationships with entities where Duke may have interest in the future.
Jones met with representatives from both domestic and foreign groups, including the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Chinese Embassy and the U.S. State Department's Bureau for South and Central Asian Affairs.
Jones also talked with experts in global higher education initiatives at the American Council on Education and several DC-based Duke alumni.
"We know we want to develop new programs and relationships around the world, but we also remain thoughtfully engaged in the partnerships we currently have," Jones said. "The meetings in Washington were instrumental in establishing contact - and in some cases strengthening existing relationships - with agencies and individuals who are important to moving our strategic initiatives forward."
"Many of the people we met with were intrigued by Duke's approach to creating networks of partnerships and activity around the world, many of which are focused on addressing major challenges such as health or the environment," Bynum said. "We're pleased to see that people seemed to recognize the importance and utility of using this type of approach to guide our global work."
According to Chris Simmons, head of Duke's Office of Federal Relations who accompanied Jones to the meetings in Washington, Jones's visit served as an opportunity to connect with organizations and individuals who are instrumental in developing and influencing policy around the world.
"As you can see from Greg's full agenda here, there are many opportunities for Duke to develop globally focused relationships in Washington. Greg's leadership has helped us zero in on the groups we want to engage, and today's visit allowed us to connect to individuals who are leaders in the international arena."
