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Duke University President Vincent E. Price reflects on his first year and shares plans for the future B Y H O L LY W EST | PHOTO COURT ESY DUKE UN IVERSITY
What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishments during the past year at Duke? What challenges have you/the university faced? My first year was a period of transition for Duke, and not only with respect to my arrival as president. We brought new leadership on board in a number of key areas, and I’m thrilled to have attracted some of top talent in the country: Kerry Abrams from the University of Virginia to be dean of our law school; Toddi Steelman from the University of Saskatchewan to be the dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment; Judith Kelley, a longtime faculty member at Duke to be the dean of the Sanford School of Public Policy; Dave Kennedy from Stanford to be our vice president for alumni affairs and development; and Duke alumna Stelfanie Williams, the president of Vance-Granville Community College, to be our vice president for Durham affairs. These are all wonderfully experienced leaders in higher education who will add to our already stellar team. The greatest challenges we have faced are not unique to Duke – growing our resources to support the finest educational programs while maintaining our commitments to access and affordability; making sure we stand at the forefront of research while making sure our scholarship helps to address pressing societal challenges, especially in our region; and developing a strong, open and respectful community in the face of widening tensions across political and social divides in our nation. At Duke, we have a real opportunity – and responsibility – to do these things well. Our founder, James B. Duke, called upon the university to uplift our region and the world, which is a mission I take very seriously. What are some exciting projects coming up in the next academic year? Well, in a few weeks I will be visiting the Duke Marine Lab in Beaufort, which is the first stop in a tour that I’m planning of towns and august 2018
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