How to Get the Most Out of the Duke Event Calendar
The calendar is where to find out what’s happening on campus

As part of her role as a senior information designer and developer at the Pratt School of Engineering, Mandy Dixon supports the school’s communications efforts. In doing so, she makes sure that upcoming Pratt events appear on the Duke Event Calendar, the online chronicle of everything happening on campus.
But when she visits the site for Pratt-related purposes, it can be hard not to have her curiosity about other parts of Duke piqued.
“When I’m on the calendar, I’m generally looking at our list for the week, but I’ll often see an event that looks interesting and sign up for it,” said Dixon, who has attended some of the UNIV 101 discussions on race.
Usually featuring about 2,000 upcoming events, the Duke Event Calendar is where the Duke community can see the breadth of what’s happening on campus. Whether it’s a dissertation defense, a virtual panel discussion or a game, if you’re interested in attending, you’ll find out everything you need to know.
“It’s a tool that communicates the diversity, and vibrancy of the things happening at Duke,” said Anne Light, a project manager with University Communications and one of the staff members who oversee the Duke Event Calendar. “It helps people know what we’re all doing and how to find opportunities to learn.”
And when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the calendar remained a vibrant piece of campus life, its usage numbers staying consistent as it was filled with listings for virtual events.
“To a certain extent, the Duke calendar system was an essential outlet for community building during the pandemic,” said Shaun King, senior public relations specialist for Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and an avid user of the calendar. “Because it was the space to reimagine events virtually, it was a real touchstone.”
Light holds training sessions at the beginning of each semester for Duke community members who are tasked with posting their units events on the calendar. There’s also an archived training session online.
But for anyone looking to get more out of the Event Calendar – whether using it to find, or publicize events – here’s what you need to know.
Focus Your Search
With as many as 2,000 postings at any given time, the Duke Event Calendar can be overwhelming. But finding what you’re looking for can be a snap by using filters to narrow options, or using the drop-down lists to search by topic, group, event type or location.
There are 23 topics in the drop-down list, ranging from and event types to choose from in the drop-down list, ranging from “Teaching & Classroom Learning” to “Civic Engagement/Social Action.” And there are nearly 80 options in the event type list, including events that feature “Free Food and Beverage” or “Giveaways.”
“And you can also filter by location, so if you know that you want to see a concert in Baldwin Auditorium, you can find it easily,” Light said.
Check out Featured Events
When visitors log on to calendar.duke.edu, they’re greeted by a handful of entries for “Featured Events.”
Light, who helps select which events earn the high-visibility spot as a featured event, said that the featured events are often chosen because they may feature a wide appeal, good imagery or a special significance to a part of Duke.
Light and her team welcome suggestions for featured events, so event organizers are encouraged to email calendaring@duke.edu about events worth featuring. This week's featured events include conversations with intelligence experts, musical performances and a virtual talk about refugee entrepreneurs.
For Event Organizers, Plan Ahead
Light said that the best time to add your event to the schedule is as soon as you know the important details such as when it’s happening, and where it’s taking place. Or, at the very least, add it to the calendar roughly 30 days in advance of the event.
The farther ahead you post something, the better. Not only does it give potential participants more time to come across the listing, but it also increases the odds that Light, or her colleague Maxine Borjon, might select the item as a “Featured Event.”
“We’re looking that far out as we’re planning the featured events,” Light said. “If you put an event on the calendar within a week of when it’s going to happen, we might miss it for a featured event.”
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