Duke’s Dean of Timekeeping

Name: Christoph GuttentagPosition: Dean, Undergraduate AdmissionsYears at Duke: 23

What I do at Duke: As dean, I’m ultimately responsible for each incoming class of first-year and transfer students, but I think my responsibility is to take the values and goals of the university and translate them into strategies and practices to recruit students. It’s also about guiding my staff on how to make decisions of how we recruit and who we select, going from our ideas to the act. 

If I had $5 million, I would: Do three things. First, I’d give to some organizations that my family is close to, like Girl Scouts. Then, I’d use some to travel with my family to see places that would expose me to something different and interesting in Africa, Antarctica, Asia and Australia. Then, I’d splurge on a Tesla because they’re the best combination of a car that’s green and incredibly fun to drive.

My first ever job: Right out of college, I worked for a medical company in Goleta, California whose primary product was silicone breast implants. For the first three weeks, I drove a forklift and mixed chemicals for the gel and shell, but after that, I became a technical writer for their computer system and eventually a computer operator. That was my full-time job, but I also worked part-time at a coffee house. I started as a dishwasher and moved up to barista.

My dream job: I’d be a singer/songwriter, which is the type of music that got me seriously paying attention from people like Bill Morrissey, Tori Amos, Ani DiFranco and Shawn Colvin. One of the most fun times I’ve had in the last five years was playing guitar at my high school reunion with a band that played a lot of 50s covers.

If someone wanted to start a conversation with me they should ask me about: My clock collection. I have about 300 clocks, maybe 50 of which are in my office. The same company, Telechron, makes them all. I started collecting them about 30 years ago when I was living in Philadelphia. Mine were made from the 20s to the 60s, so a lot of them are mid-century style. Part of their value is the aesthetic – I enjoy the numerals and the design – but also the creation of a collection. I like the idea that you can appreciate them all as a whole. 

What I love about Duke: The ambition of people on campus, being in a place where new ideas and experimentation is part of our culture and it’s easy to find so many interesting people. You can have a great conversation with anybody. It’s such a stimulating place to work. 

When I’m not at work, I like to: Walk. If I can’t walk an hour a day, I’m not happy. I like the exercise, but it makes everything better. It gives me time to think and reflect when I’m not pressured for time.

Something most people don’t know about me: While in college at University of California-Santa Barbara, I was part of a male acapella group called The Schubertians. Our core repertoire was songs written by Franz Shubert, but we sang everything from Renaissance to 20th century music. We even went on a three-week European tour and also toured the West Coast. It was amazing.