Trustee Rubenstein gives $10M to Lincoln Center

01 Oct 2009, Posted by Lindsey Rupp in Alumni, News, Tidbits, 0 Comments

David Rubenstein, Trinity ‘70 and member of the Board of Trustees since 2003, is spreading his wealth.

Rubenstein donated $10 million to the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, the New York Times reported Wednesday.

Rubenstein added to the center’s $1.2 billion redevelopment project, and the center will name its new visitors and ticket space on Broadway the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center, the Times reported. The site will offer discounted tickets and free shows, and it is scheduled to open Nov. 24.

The donation was sparked by Rubenstein’s 60th birthday last month, according to the article, which reports that Rubenstein made $2.7 billion as managing director of The Carlyle Group. Estimating that he could live to about 81 years old, Rubenstein has decided to give his money away to causes he supports before he dies.

“My view is, if you have money, you can spend it, you can save it, or you can give it away,” Rubenstein said to the Times. “I bought all the things I need to buy.”

Since Rubenstein co-founded The Carlyle Group in 1987, the company has expanded to house offices in 20 countries with more than 1,290 investors from 72 countries. The Carlyle Group manages about $86.1 billion in assets, according to its Web site.

Along with his commitment to the Duke Board of Trustees, Rubenstein  also serves on the boards of 30 other institutions—which he also supports financially, the article states.

In addition to using his wealth to underwrite scholarships and fund arts centers, Rubenstein has purchased several historical documents which he has loaned to American museums, including copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Emancipation Proclamation, according to the article.

“Being happy in life is not easy,” Rubenstien said in the Times. “I would give up all the money I have if I could be 50. You can always make money.”

Sanford professor evaluates Obama’s use of media

24 Sep 2009, Posted by Lindsey Rupp in Faculty and Staff, National Politics, News, media, 0 Comments

Ken Rogerson, professor of public policy and director of undergraduate studies at the Sanford School of Public Policy, participated in the New York Times’ Room for Debate blog, “Obama on All Channels,” Sept. 23.

Rogerson was one of several professors, presidential speechwriters and authors to comment on President Barack Obama’s frequent media appearances. Posts addressed whether the president is in danger of being overexposed.

In his post, Rogerson noted that Obama is “doing his job.”

“He is out among the citizens—both virtually and physically—promoting his policy agenda, showing support for existing programs and asking us to think hard about political decisions that are being made,” Rogerson wrote.

Rogerson added that still, Obama may be overexposing himself, leading citizens to prioritize consuming other information available to them in the “maze of modern technology.”

He contrasted the surplus of information about Obama and his doings with the  author J.D. Salinger’s media shyness, noting it is “interesting” that Salinger’s reclusive behavior has made  him  more compelling to the public.

“The next time Salinger decides to say something in public, I suspect people will stop to listen,” Rogerson wrote.

Quoted: Peter Feaver on Obama and Bush diplomacy

20 Sep 2009, Posted by Zachary Tracer in Faculty and Staff, National Politics, News, 0 Comments

Peter Feaver, Alexander F. Hehmeyer professor of political science and director of the Triangle Institute for Security Studies, was quoted in the New York Times Sunday. The article, by Peter Baker, discusses how President Barack Obama has gained few concessions from foreign leaders, despite the good will he has built up abroad.

Here’s Feaver’s take on the matter, as quoted in the Times:

“The problem is he’s asking for roughly the same things President Bush asked for and President Bush didn’t get them, not because he was a boorish diplomat or a cowboy,” said Peter D. Feaver, a former adviser to Mr. Bush now at Duke University. “If that were the case, bringing in the sophisticated, urbane President Obama would have solved the problem. President Bush didn’t get them because these countries had good reasons for not giving them.”

Video: NYT columnist Kristof speaks at Duke about oppression of women

18 Sep 2009, Posted by Zachary Tracer in Breaking News, National Politics, News, student life, video, 0 Comments

Video produced by Lawson Kurtz and Chase Olivieri/The Chronicle.

Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times Columnist Nicholas Kristof told a packed Page Auditorium that women’s rights is the issue of the 21st century Sept. 17. His visit to the University was the first stop on his tour to promote his new book “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.”

Unequal access to health care, food and education has crippled developing countries and left the world short of about 100 million women, Kristof said.

Telling stories of sex trafficking, physical abuse and mental neglect, Kristof illustrated his emotional and often disturbing anecdotes with photographs of the women of whom he spoke.

Kristof followed his lecture with a question and answer session and a book signing. The first 200 audience members to arrive received free copies of his book, and more were available for purchase.

Photo Slideshow: Nicholas Kristof speaks at Duke

17 Sep 2009, Posted by Michael Naclerio in National Politics, News, 0 Comments

Nicholas Kristof Speaks at Duke 9/17/09 – Images by Chase Olivieri Duke Chronicle