Duke Welcomes Duke Kunshan University Board of Trustees to Durham
The visit recognizes Duke’s unique partnership with DKU and its success in global education
Following the meeting, board members attended a lunch hosted by President Vincent Price in the Gothic Reading Room in Rubenstein Library, participated in a walking tour of campus, and toasted their partnership at a reception and dinner in Cameron Indoor Stadium, where they received personalized basketball jerseys to commemorate their visit to Duke.
The day before, Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams and Kunshan Mayor Chen signed a sister-city agreement at a ceremony at the Durham Performing Arts Center. The agreement solidifies the two cities’ relationships and encourages the beneficial exchange of ideas, culture, education, and collaboration on common issues.
Established in 2013, DKU is a world-class liberal arts university that offers a range of high quality, innovative academic programs for students from around the world. Graduates of the undergraduate program receive dual degrees from both Duke and DKU, and Duke offers five of its masters-level programs at DKU, all of which include students spending time at Duke. Duke and DKU faculty also collaborate on teaching, research, and scholarship.
Kunshan Mayor Liyan Chen and Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams shake hands at a sister-city agreement signing ceremony. Photo courtesy of the City of Durham
In addition to regular business, the board voted on two resolutions. Trustees approved a requested increase in DKU’s annual incoming undergraduate class size to 550 students from its previous level of 500, resulting in a steady state of total undergraduate population growth to 2,200 students. The board also authorized DKU and the partners to begin formal discussions of their current operational and financial support agreement, which expires in 2028. Talks will begin next year.
In remarks on behalf of Duke, Gallimore praised the board’s actions.
“DKU’s great success has made possible the expansion of its undergraduate class, which will enhance the academic program and academic community, make its excellent education available to more students, and expand the impact of its graduates in China, the United States, and around the world,” he said. “As we look ahead to renegotiating our support for DKU in 2025, we remain committed to this joint venture and continuing to fulfill our obligations to its students.”
The board’s meeting coincides with a renewed focus on Duke’s international activities.
Gallimore has revived the faculty-led Global Priorities Committee (GPC) to help guide the development of Duke’s academic global strategy. A subgroup of the GPC will focus on DKU and Duke’s partnership. Vor Broker Family Distinguished Professor of Political Science Melanie Manion, a China expert whose interest in the country dates to studying philosophy and political economy at Peking University in the late 1970s, will serve as chair.
“Duke’s partnership with DKU has been an historic opportunity for the university to engage with China and pioneer a new model of global education,” Manion said. “As chair of the DKU Advisory Committee, I look forward to working with my fellow faculty members to contemplate and envisage the future of this joint venture and help ensure it continues to reflect Duke’s highest aspirations for teaching, research, and service to the world.”
John Quelch, executive vice chancellor of DKU, said he is optimistic about the future of the joint venture institution and is looking forward to visits by Duke faculty and administrators to Kunshan in 2025.
"The resolutions approved by the board are just the latest signs of DKU’s momentum as we continue to invest in enhancing our academic program, research enterprise, and campus life. I am especially proud of the growth in cross-cultural exchanges between DKU and Duke, including 174 graduates from DKU's first three undergraduate cohorts who have gone onto master's or PhD programs at Duke,” said Quelch.
Among them is Trailokaya Raj Bajgain, a 2024 graduate of DKU from far-western Nepal who is now pursuing a Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering at Duke. Bajgain said he hopes the future brings more exchanges between the two institutions.
“The community I found at DKU is so special — we're all fun and quirky in our own ways and the global perspective we get every day by interacting with a truly smart, diverse group of peers is amazing,” he said.
“I chose Duke [for graduate school] primarily because of the work I did here as an exchange student, and I really liked my supervisor and the project. However, the sense of belonging to the wider Duke community and the Duke values I've witnessed as part of multiple interdisciplinary and international research collaborations between Duke and DKU have certainly solidified my commitment to Duke.”
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