Number 3: Duke goes global

30 Dec 2009, Posted by Lindsey Rupp in Decade in Review, News, 0 Comments

Durham has become too small for a Duke that increasingly has its eyes set on the international horizon. This decade, particularly since the start of the Brodhead Era, has been marked by Duke’s desire to expand its global reach and its growing presence abroad—but the University’s hunger for international footing is unlikely to be satisfied even in the next decade.

When President Richard Brodhead arrived at Duke in 2003, he had international goals in mind. Those goals have received several big pushes in the years since—particularly from the University’s $1.3 billion strategic plan passed in 2006, “Making a Difference.” The plan’s main goals of enhancing student education and increasing Duke’s service to society are supported by six themes, one of which is internationalization. The central administration gave globalization efforts another big push in its Quality Enhancement Plan, part of the University’s reaccreditation process. Approved in 2009, the QEP titled “Global Duke: Enhancing Students’ Capacity for World Citizenship” introduced the Global Semester Abroad, the Winter Forum and the Global Advising Program. The first Winter Forum will be held Jan. 10-12 2010.

Several Duke schools have taken the international message to heart. The Fuqua School of Business has lead the expansion effort from the beginning, initiating a cross-continent MBA program in 1999 that was greatly scaled back in 2002 due to financial losses. But Fuqua wasn’t beaten, the school has launched a new Cross-Continent MBA program in 2008 with partners in St. Petersburg, London, Shanghai, Dubai and New Delhi. Several other schools have followed suit. The Sanford School of Public Policy and the Nicholas School of the Environment are exploring international collaboration efforts and the Masters in Science and Global Health program has plans for international service work. Duke also partnered to open the Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School in July 2006, and its new home was officially in use Sept. 2009.

Soon, several Duke programs may have a home in China. The Board of Trustees considered the first of two proposed phases of Duke involvement in China at its Dec. 2009 meeting. The first phase starts with Fuqua (no surprises there) and is a partnership between Fuqua, the government of Kunshan and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Arts and Sciences Council Chair Ruth Day confirmed at the body’s Dec. 2009 meeting that the Board of Trustees approved the first phase, which would include free land and construction that could break ground as early as Jan. 2010 and be ready for occupation in 2011. Facilities in the first phase would be built large enough to accommodate other Duke programs, potentially including the Nicholas School, the Pratt School of Engineering, Sanford, the School of Law and some undergraduate experiences like DukeEngage or study abroad (Adding those programs is phase 2, which has not been considered or approved by the Board yet.).

Domestic and international students have also seen their opportunities to travel expand greatly this decade. In February 2007, Duke launched DukeEngage, an unprecedented civic engagement initiative that fully funds students on domestic and international service trips. Inspired by the University’s strategic plan, the program got an initial $15 million boost from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and has been a significant admissions draw. In 2010, DukeEngage will have programs in 30 international and domestic locations, but since the economic downturn, the DukeEngage endowment is no longer generating money, and the University announced it would fund the program’s $4 million budget.

And students still have the traditional study abroad options. Duke reports that about 45 percent of students study abroad during their Duke careers. In 2000, Duke had 20 study abroad programs, and now it has 15 semester programs, about 20 summer programs and domestic programs in New York and Los Angeles, now run by the recently renamed Global Education Office for Undergraduates.

The world is coming home to Durham, too. In the last 10 years, Duke has brought more international students to campus. Although international students are not admitted on a need-blind basis and the University says it only expects to admit 20-25 need-based financial aid applicants, some additional aid was created by the $300 million financial aid initiative. Nearly 1o percent of the Class of 2012 is international and saw a record number of foreign applicants. International applications were up 33 percent in the early decision pool for the Class of 2013. These students are served by the International house, which could merge with the Multicultural Center although the move has been delayed due to student outcry.

Duke even has a vice provost for international affairs (Gilbert Merkx) and a senior advisor for international strategy (R. Sanders “Sandy” Williams, who has just accepted a position at the Gladstone Institutes).

It’s clear internationalization is far from over, so look out world—here comes Duke.

Internationalization is Number 3 on our stories of the decade list. These are the issues and events that made headlines for weeks at a time over the last ten years, those that sparked the most debate on campus and beyond, and the ones that we believe will continue to shape our coverage in the years to come.

Number 4: The Brodhead Era

30 Dec 2009, Posted by Naureen Khan in Decade in Review, News, 0 Comments

“Do I, Richard, take you, Duke, to be my chosen life?” Richard Brodhead asked himself when he became Duke’s ninth University President in the summer of 2004. “I do.”

Richard Brodhead. (Photo courtesy of Duke News)

The former dean of Yale College and English professor was chosen after a months-long, nationwide search to succeed popular former president Nan Keohane in December 2003. At Yale, where Brodhead spent forty years as a student, professor and administrator, the 19th century literature scholar built a legacy on “having a finger on the pulse of the undergraduate student body” and his approach to academics.

During his five years at Duke, Brodhead has prioritized fundraising for financial aid ($300 million to be exact) and integrating civic engagement and service into the academic experience, both with the University’s most recent $1.3 billion strategic plan “Making a Difference” and the launch of DukeEngage.

Brodhead’s tenure at Duke, however, has been anything but smooth sailing. From the beginning, the President has had to confront a series of crises, difficult for even the seasoned veteran of academia to navigate. In 2004, head basketball coach Mike Kryzewski almost left the University to take over as head coach for the Lakers. Just months later, Brodhead and the University drew fire for allowing the Palestinian Solidarity Movement to host its annual conference on Duke’s campus. Then of course, there was lacrosse and the new financial reality created by the recession (but again, we’ll save the best for last).

The Brodhead Era is number 4 on our stories of the decade list. These are the issues and events that made headlines for weeks at a time over the last ten years, those that sparked the most debate on campus and beyond, and the ones that we believe will continue to shape our coverage in the years to come.

Number 5: New rules for living and learning

29 Dec 2009, Posted by Zachary Tracer in Decade in Review, News, 0 Comments

Duke students got a new curriculum and a brand new housing model in the first years of the decade, altering academic and social life on campus.

Curriculum 2000—introduced in 2000, of course—was implemented to add breadth to Duke students’ knowledge. It set up a complex matrix of graduation requirements (way more complicated than the current areas of knowledge and modes of inquiry system), forcing all students in Trinity to take foreign language courses for the first time and creating Writing 20.

It also forced professors and administrators (such as Bob Thompson, then dean of Trinity College, pictured in the middle above) to undergo the lengthy process of figuring out which requirements were met by each of Duke’s 3,000 courses. And it forced the Spanish department to hire new professors to teach the hundreds of new students enrolled in introductory courses.

But the curriculum’s requirements were confusing and onerous and prevented students from double majoring. (They also led, of course, to the creation of non-major some might say easy courses.)

In 2004, Duke changed things up again. It lightened the modes of inquiry and areas of knowledge requirements, but added a math requirement (under the original plan, students could replace the single required math course with a natural science).

Just as the class of 2004 was the guinea pig for Curriculum 2000, it also got to be the first to experience the decade’s new housing system, featuring the Quad Model.

(In 2004, three years after its unveiling, an article asked “What is the Quad Model?” and found that neither admins nor students really knew… but our best try is below.)

With the arrival of Larry Moneta (the smiling vice president for student affairs on the left, above), Duke required all sophomores to live on West Campus and worked to create communities within the quads. Residence coordinators were hired to help, and in 2002 Duke started linking freshman dorms on East with quads on West.

That system sucked for freshmen in Southgate and Randolph, who were then required to live in Edens sophomore year, and it was later dismantled.

Duke is still struggling to make the best of housing on campus, shuffling fraternities, considering a new dorm, and dreaming of a far off New Campus while working to make Central a bit more appealing.

A new curriculum and housing model were number 5 on our stories of the decade list. These are the issues and events that made headlines for weeks at a time over the last ten years, those that sparked the most debate on campus and beyond, and the ones that we believe will continue to shape our coverage in the years to come.

Number 6: September 11th and the Wars on Terror

29 Dec 2009, Posted by Lindsey Rupp in Decade in Review, News, 1 Comments

The University rededicated its memorial wall and added 54 names, honoring alumni who have died in service to their country. (Photo from Duke News)

The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 shook Americans across the nation including those within the the Gothic walls of Duke. To date, Duke has lost eight alumni to the 9/11 attacks and the war efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq. As the U.S. presence in these countries persist, so will the University’s tie exist—in personnel as well as student and faculty activism and remembrance.

Students and faculty have responded in many ways to the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent conflict in Afghanistan, launched Oct. 7, 2001, and the Iraq War, which began March 20, 2003. After the 2001 terrorist attacks, professors adjusted courses to include current events and background on areas newly spotlighted by the attacks. Several areas of campus have come together since fall of 2001 together to offer panel discussions about the attacks and their potential consequences the possibility of and need for war, and the war efforts themselves. In the last eight years, many speakers have come to Duke discussing the fight against terror including Brig. Gen. H.R. McMaster, Stephen Hadley, who was national security adviser from 2005 to 2009, Meghan O’Sullivan, the former deputy national security adviser on Iraq and Afghanistan, and Karl Rove, the former deputy White House chief of staff.

Rove’s visit drew protests from students, faculty and Durham residents, but those are certainly not the only protesters Duke’s campus has seen. Before the war in Iraq began, about 20 students camped on the Chapel Quadrangle in protest, about 400 people protested the start of the Iraq war with a walk-out and in 2005 a protest march ended with a rally on East Campus. Along with other protest efforts, students and faculty have participated in multiple peace rallies and efforts to support the troops as well as marked the 9/11 attacks with an annual memorial.

President Barack Obama has announced new strategies for the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. In his Dec. 2, 2009 speech at West Point, Obama announced he would send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan before beginning a draw down in 2011. Obama has said he hopes to begin withdrawing troops in Iraq in May 2010. But on campus, Duke continues to discuss the wars and their effects, and to remember those who have served in them. The University rededicated its war memorial Oct. 23, 2009 and added the 54 names of fallen soldiers. U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki, Grad ’76 and a retired four-star general who is a Vietnam War veteran, delivered the keynote address.

Duke lost six alumni in 9/11:

John “Rob” Lenoir, Trinity ‘84, worked on the 104th floor of the south tower as an executive for Sandler O’Neill & Partners. He played football at Duke from 1981 to 1983. Peter Ortale, Trinity ‘87, worked in the second tower and was an all-conference lacrosse player. Christopher Pitman, Trinity ‘93 lived in New York City. Todd Rancke, Trinity ‘81 worked at Sandler O’Neill & Partners, an investment bank, on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center. Frederick Rimmele, Medicine ‘94, was on United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston to Los Angeles when it crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center. Michael Morgan Taylor, Trinity ‘81, worked for Cantor & Fitzgerald in the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

Two alumni have died in combat in Iraq:

First Lt. Matthew Lynch, Trinity ‘01, lettered in baseball and swimming while at Duke and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps shortly after graduating. He died Aug. 31, 2004 in Iraq from injuries he sustained from a roadside bomb. James Regan, Trinity ‘02, became an Army Ranger after graduation, turning down a scholarship to law school and a job offer at a financial company. Regan played lacrosse at Duke from 1999-2002 and was selected to the All-ACC Tournament team during his senior year. He was killed by a roadside bomb Feb. 9, 2007 during his second tour in Iraq. First Lieutenant Charles Bies, Pratt ‘04, was wounded March 7, 2006 by a roadside bomb in Iraq. A cadet in the Army ROTC at Duke, Bies survived his injuries.

The terrorist attacks and wars on terror were number 6 on our stories of the decade list. These are the issues and events that made headlines for weeks at a time over the last ten years, those that sparked the most debate on campus and beyond, and the ones that we believe will continue to shape our coverage in the years to come.

Number 7: Problems for the Duke University Health System

29 Dec 2009, Posted by Lindsey Rupp in Decade in Review, News, 1 Comments

Duke University Medical Center was ranked 10th on the U.S. News and World Report’s 2009-2010 Honor Roll of America’s Best Hospitals. But it has not been immune to serious mistakes this decade.

Surgeons at Duke University Hospital transplanted the heart and lungs of the wrong blood type into 17-year-old Jesica Santillan Feb. 7, 2003.

Jesica Santillan, 17, died after receiving a heart and lungs that did not match her blood type. (Photo from CBS News)

Santillan suffered from restrictive cardiomyopathy, which caused her to have an enlarged heart and weakened lungs. Her family moved illegally from Mexico to Durham in 2000 hoping to raise money for a transplant. But after several errors in communication, surgeons received blood type A organs and transplanted them into Santillan, who had type O blood. DUH officials took full responsibility for the error, and admitted that the chief surgeon in the operation did not ask whether the organs were a match when he received them. Santillan’s body rejected the organs, and on Feb. 20, 2003 she received a rare—and controversial—second transplant. She suffered complications, and was pronounced brain dead and taken off life support Feb. 22.

Santillan’s situation received national media attention after her family and their spokesperson alerted the press to the error and their treatment by DUH officials. In May 2003, Duke established a perpetual $4 million fund called the Jesica Santillan fund to honor her memory. University officials could not immediately respond to questions about the status of the fund. Santillan’s family filed suit against the Hospital and settled for an undisclosed amount in June 2004. The error’s surrounding the mismatch prompted Duke and the United Network for Organ Sharing to change their transplant procedures requiring more separate checks for compatibility.

Then in late 2004, DUHS was back in the media when Duke physicians used surgical instruments that had been mistakenly cleaned in elevator hydraulic

Surgeons at two DUHS hospitals used tools that had been washed in hydraulic fluid on nearly 4,000 patients. (Photo from WRAL)

fluid. The instruments were used in November and December 2004 during procedures on 3,648 patients at Durham Regional Hospital and Duke Health Raleigh Hospital—both run by the Duke University Health System.

During an elevator inspection at the DUHS Raleigh hospital, a mechanic had drained hydraulic fluid into empty detergent barrels and did not relabel them. The barrels were sent back to the detergent supplier, which shipped them to four local hospitals. Only the barrels at Durham Regional and the Raleigh hospitals were used. The hydraulic fluid, produced by Exxon-Mobile and found to contain several carcinogens, was used in one part of the multi-step cleaning process of the tools. Multiple studies indicated the sterilization process was not compromised and exposed patients did not suffer resulting health problems. Still, at least two groups of patients filed suit against DUHS, one suit was settled out of court in June 2008 for an undisclosed sum.

Although DUHS is still considered a premier health care provider, these incidents greatly affected the hospital’s and the University’s image at the time and they should not go forgotten.

The problems for DUHS were number 7 on our stories of the decade list. These are the issues and events that made headlines for weeks at a time over the last ten years, those that sparked the most debate on campus and beyond, and the ones that we believe will continue to shape our coverage in the years to come.