PUBLISHED IN

Trustees Hold Quarterly Meeting, Approve Degrees

Allen Building in fall
By Duke Today Staff

The Duke University Board of Trustees Saturday concluded its year-long strategic education program on “The Duke Brand, and the Future of Higher Education and Academic Medicine” with a session on the challenges of recruitment, retention and career development for faculty and staff.

At their quarterly meeting, the trustees heard from Duke administrators and faculty, as well as outside experts, about the new environment for employers, and the particular challenges for academic institutions. 

The goal of the strategic education program was to provide participants with information on the current state of and projections for the future of higher education and academic medicine, as well as Duke’s reputation and position within that landscape.  Previous sessions focused on public opinion about Duke and research universities, the undergraduate, graduate and professional education and the student experience, and a review of academic health centers, and medical education and clinical research innovations at Duke.

In other business, the board:

  • Approved the awarding of more than 5,800 undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees that will be conferred at Duke’s annual commencement ceremony on Sunday;
  • Approved the university’s fiscal year 2022-23 operating and capital budgets, which include the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing but not Duke Hospital and other clinical components of the Duke University Health System;
  • Recognized the following individuals who are retiring or transitioning to new roles:  Valerie Ashby (Dean of Trinity College of Arts and Sciences), Kyle Cavanaugh (Vice President for Administration), William Fulkerson, Jr. (Executive Vice President, Duke University Health System), Deborah Jakubs (Vice Provost for Library Affairs and University Librarian), Mike Krzyzewski (Head Men’s Basketball Coach) and Paula McClain (Dean of the Graduate School).
  • Received updates on the implementation of recommendations from the Board’s Strategic Task Forces from 2018-19 (Activating the Global Network, Advancing Duke Science and Technology, Next Generation Living and Learning Experience, and the Future of Central Campus), 2020-21 (Climate Change and Sustainability, Duke’s Centennial Celebration, and Duke and Durham Today and Tomorrow), and the 2019-2020 strategic education initiative on Research Translation and Commercialization.