In the early 1980s, Duke was behind its peers in recruiting black faculty, undergraduates and graduate students.  Over the next two decades, the university's approach to diversity recruitment moved past some early stumbles to both change the Duke community and help establish it as one of the top universities in the nation. This series of stories looks at a history of mistakes and successes and how diversity recruitment came to be instrumental in the university's international aspirations.

Duke TodayDiversity at DukeOffice of Institutional Equity

Part One: Finding Duke's Front Door

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Kara Holloway

Karla Holloway came to Duke in 1991 through the back door, coming through the rear entrance to Allen Building nightly to teach her first class.

The metaphor recalls a time when one of the most discussed questions on campus was how to get more black faculty, graduate students and undergrads through the front doors of the university. Those efforts continue to make their mark on Duke today.



Professor Paula McClain
"If Duke had not made diversification of its faculty and student body a priority, the university would not be the vibrant and intellectually stimulating and challenging institution that it is today."
--Paula McClain  


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