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From Duke Classroom to Campus Office

About 4,300 alumni have gone from student to employee

After four years studying in the libraries, cheering the Blue Devils inside Cameron Indoor Stadium and eating in dining halls, many Duke students leave the confines of Durham to see what the world holds for them.

Many, but not all.

For some, nothing sounds better than the prospect of spending more time among the Gothic architecture and open quads that made Duke a home away from home. Since their first relationship with Duke as a student ended, about 4,300 alumni have since come back to work among the offices and classrooms they used to know.

"I remember realizing that working with college students - helping students - was something you could do for a career and that really excited me," said David Frankel, a 1997 graduate who returned to Duke in 1998 to work in Alumni Affairs. He's now the assistant dean of students for student conduct. "I felt a strong connection to this place and was excited about it. I thought, 'what could be more positive than helping people connect with Duke?' "

Here are a few alums that have deepened their connection to Duke by sticking around, seen at campus locations fond in their memory from time as a student: