December 2, 2008

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The Chronicle Durham celebrates DPAC opening Liu, Roberts by

get Marshall

Will Robinson THE CHRONICLE

The Pitchforks, the Blue Devil mascot and President Richard' Brodhead gathered to celebrate the debut of Duke’s $7.5-million investment in downtown Durham Monday evening. The Durham Performing Arts Center commemorated its official grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house that attracted city residents to the state-of-the art venue. The project was led by the City and Downtown Durham, Inc. It was also supported by a large financial contribution from Duke. The 2,800-seat venue cost $46.8 million to build. It was the result of nearly 10 years of planning, said Democratic state Sen. Floyd McKissick of Durham. “It will be a unique jewel for Durham,” he said. “A venue that is not like anything from Washington to Atlanta.... We in Durham have a cultural amenity, a facility that all of us can be proud of.” The theater, which is the largest of its kind in the Carolinas, opened with a concert by blues legend 8.8. King Sunday night. “It’s a great day for Durham. We have a theater that can now draw top cultural events,” Brodhead said, noting the renewal of the American Tobacco Historic District across the street. “It’s part of a whole fabric of revitalization.” DPAC is part of the city’s plan for downtown that already includes the Durham Bulls Athletic Park and West Village. “In Durham we believe that arts are vital to our quality of life,” said Mayor Bill Bell. He added that the project was a result of strong public and private partnerships. Bell was joined by Brodhead, several City Council members and the mascots for Duke and North Carolina Central Univer-

scholarship by

Diana Sheldon THE CHRONICLE

Durhamofficials and residents take part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday to mark the grand opening of the Durham Performing Arts Center.DPAC's first event was a performance by blues legend 8.8.King Sunday.

sity as he cut the ceremonial ribbon Festivities also included the dedication of a light sculpture entitled “Sleep No More,” by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa whose sculpture “Tattoo” was featured on the West Campus Plaza in 2007. The sculpture is a vertical beam of light that shines directly into the sky outside the theater. It was donated to the city by Capitol Broadcasting Company, which owns local news outlet WRAL. It will be illuminated every time the new theater hosts an event. “I believe that what goes on in this build—

ing is so important that we should turn this light on every time it’s running,” said CBC President Jim Goodmon, who presented the light’s power switch to Bell. “The arts are so important to the community.” After the official programming ended, guests headed inside to explore the new building and view the expansive theater. Residents mixed with Durham leaders over appetizers and drinks. Performances by the Durham Children’s SEE DPAC ON PAGE 5

Two Duke seniors were awarded the prestigious Marshall Scholarship this year for their undergraduate achievements, both having done significant laboratory research. Sally Liu, a pre-med student, an Angier B. Duke Scholar and a pole vaulter on the track and field team, was awarded the scholarship for her research on the effects of temperature on a mutant fruit fly model for spastic paraplegia. Dan Roberts, an engineering and physics double major and math minor, won the scholarship for his research in the field of transformative optics and his work electromagnetic with devices that act as an “invisibility cloak.” University administrators said they are proud ofLiu and Roberts. “These scholarships are fantastic for our students,” Provost Peter Lange said. “They are a credit to the University, but really above all, a credit to the students.” The highly selective Marshall Scholarship annually finances two years of graduate-level SEE MARSHALL ON PAGE 4

QEP to target global ambition Lindsey Rupp THE CHRONICLE

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HEATHER

GUO/CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO

} rasad Kasibhatla, associate dean in the Nicholas School, is co-chair of :he Quality EnhancementPlan committee, which formulates the QEP.

CORRECTION A Dec. 1 article,"RGAC rates selectives for West housing," should have said Psi Upsilon had the highest RGAC score in 2007. Round Table was the highest among Few Quadrangle selective living groups that year. The Chronicle regrets the eftor.

Students, be prepared to go global. Every 10 years, the University must submit a Quality Enhancement Plan to the Southern Association ofColleges and Schools as part of the ongoing reaccreditation process. A draft of the QEP is expected to be finished this month, and the University hopes to submit the final plan in February. The QEP, titled “Global Duke: Enhancing Students’ Capacity for World Citizenship,” will introduce three new programs to the University. Two of the programs, the Global Semester Abroad and the Winter Forum, are curricular components. The third, the Global Advising Program, is an addition to the University’s infrastructure. Prasad Kasibhatla, associate dean for international programs at the Nicholas School of the Environment and cochairof the QEP committee, said the programs “grew organically” from discussions that started more than a year ago with campus leaders, student groups, faculty and administrators. “The idea was that it has to be based on some needs

but also dovetail with other things that are on, the going strategic plan and stuff like that,” he said. “Duke is making a pretty strategic push from an internationalization perspective.... There’s also a lot of Duke activity going on internationally at the undergraduate level there’s Duke Engage, there’s study abroad, there’s all kinds of things. And somehow we felt that if we could capitalize on all of those and fill some niche that’s not being covered, that would be a really great thing to do.” Gilbert Merkx, vice provost for international affairs, assessment...

has been working with subcommittees and leaders within the QEP committee to help direct the international aspect of the programs. He said the council originally wanted to help students to flourish in a 21st-century world, which led them to focus on globalization. “What they essentially said was, ‘lf we’re talking about preparing students for the 21st century, then we’re really preparing students to live in the globalized world,”’ Merkx SEE QEP ON PAGE 5


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