News Archive 2010
Professor Cathy Davidson Nominated to National Council on Humanities
Duke professor Cathy N. Davidson has been nominated to the National Council on the Humanities. The council is a board of 26 private citizens who advise the chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
Davidson is the Ruth F. DeVarney Professor of English and John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Duke. She was also Duke's first vice provost for interdisciplinary studies. more>
President Brodhead Voices Support for DREAM Act
President Richard H. Brodhead wrote a letter to N.C. Sen. Kay Hagan on December 7 to ask that she support the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act. If passed, the bill would grant legal residential status to undocumented students who have met certain requirements, such as spending at least five years in the country before the legislation is passed.
In his letter to Hagan, Brodhead noted that the DREAM Act would benefit Duke students who might be unable to find employment because of their documentation status. more>
Energy Secretary Calls Chinese Clean-Energy Success a "Sputnik Moment"
Secretary of Energy Steven Chu said in a speech on November 29 that recent advances in clean energy technology by China and other nations present a “Sputnik moment,” for the U.S. The nation must respond, he said, by mobilizing its ingenuity, focus, and strength to create cost-effective, clean energy technologies that can power the country and its economy through the next century.
Secretary Chu cited a number of promising research efforts funded by the Department of Energy and several key technologies in which the U.S. must continue to innovate or fall behind economically. These include high voltage energy transmission, advanced coal technologies, high speed rail, nuclear power, and alternative energy vehicles. more>
ACE Assesses First Year of Post-9/11 GI Bill
The American Council on Education (ACE) Wednesday released a report which for the first time provides data on the experiences of student veterans and campus administrators during the first year of the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
Based on the results of an online survey and focus group sessions on multiple campuses in three states, "Service Members in School: Military Veterans’ Experiences Using the Post-9/11 GI Bill and Pursuing Postsecondary Education" also explores student experiences with transferring military training to academic credit and transitioning from military service to campus life. more>
Two Duke Alumni Join Congress (posted 11/5)
Two Duke alumni have joined the ranks of Dukies in Congress after Tuesday's midterm elections. Republican Rand Paul (M ‘88) won his Senate bid for the state of Kentucky, and Republican Ben Quayle (T ‘98) will serve as Representative of the 3rd District of Arizona. more>
112th Congress: Compromise or Gridlock?
As the Republicans celebrate the electoral wave that brought them to power in the U.S. House of Representatives, questions were already beginning about how they will work with the Obama Administration and a deeply divided Senate.
Duke faculty and staff predict what's ahead on education, health care and foreign policy. more>
Coalition Urges Increased Energy Research Funding for FY11
The Energy Sciences Coalition, of which Duke is a member, urges leaders of the House Appropriations Committee to provide greater funding for basic energy research in FY11 than the amount contained in the bill approved by the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee. more>
Duke Science Goes to DC (10/27)
DNA, the wonders of dry ice and Dan Ariely's decision-making investigations were among Duke exhibits and activities that attracted thousands of visitors in Washington D.C. over the weekend at the two-day inaugural USA Science and Engineering Expo. Forty university students, faculty and staff showcased Duke research in colorful booths located on Freedom Plaza, near the Washington Monument.
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Federal Stimulus Grants to Duke Top $200 Million (posted 10/20)
Duke University researchers recently hit an important milestone in total funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The federal grants for academic research and development are intended to create long-term health benefits and economic opportunity.
Through the end of September, Duke has won 360 competitive grants for research and construction totaling $202 million from seven federal agencies. More than 80 percent of the funding has come from the National Institutes of Health. more>
Senator Kaufman to Stay in Public Service While Returning to Duke Law (10/22)
The end of one of the most unique political careers draws nigh, but U.S. Sen. Ted Kaufman (D-Del.) will keep busy when Republican Christine O’Donnell or Democrat Chris Coons replaces him on Nov. 15. Kaufman was appointed to his seat by former Gov. Ruth Ann Minner for two years after former U.S. Sen. Joe Biden, a fellow Democrat, ascended to the vice presidency. And, while there were doubters, Kaufman insisted from the beginning to the end that he would never run to keep the seat and it gave him a unique way to govern.
Kaufman, who will continue a 20-year career teaching at Duke University of Law and spend more time with his grandchildren, sat down with the Community News Tuesday, Oct. 19 for a question and answer session. more>
DC Trip Promotes Duke's Global Efforts (posted 10/7)
Duke's global strategy received a warm welcome in Washington, D.C., Tuesday as Greg Jones, the university's chief international strategist, and others met with a variety of domestic and foreign leaders.
Jones and Nora Bynum, Duke's Director of Global Strategy, traveled to Washington, DC, to highlight Duke's efforts that span all of its 10 schools and both the faculty and student bodies. more>
White House Director of Social Innovation and Civic Engagement Visits Duke (9/24)
Sonal Shah, a Duke alum (G '94) and director of the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Engagement, visited Duke and Durham on Thursday at the invitation of President Richard H. Brodhead. After meetings with community members and social entrepreneurs at Durham's Bull City Forward, Shah met with President Brodhead and ate lunch with Duke faculty and staff with expertise and interests in innovation and entrepreneurship. Shah also took the opportunity to speak with students at the Sanford School of Public Policy.
Duke Muslim Chaplain Participates in Anti-Semitism Congressional Briefing (9/22)
Duke's Muslim chaplain Abdullah Antepli recounted his recent visit with other U.S. Muslim leaders to the sites of former Nazi concentration camps Wednesday in a special congressional briefing in Washington, D.C.
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) called the briefing to provide the delegation an opportunity to publicly speak about their experiences at the Auschwitz and Dachau concentration camps and to raise awareness of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial among Muslim communities. more>
Humanities Chief Calls for Civility in Public Discourse (9/21)
A veteran of Washington's harsh political landscape called Monday evening for politicians and others to show more civility toward those with whom they disagree.
Jim Leach, who chairs the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), warned that growing stridency poses a danger to democracy, which depends on people settling disagreements through open debate and willingness to compromise. "Words matter; they can bring out the better angels in our nature and they can bring out our baser instincts," he said in an evening talk at Duke's Nasher Museum of Art. more>
President Obama Honors Champion Duke Blue Devils
President Obama recognized the 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Champion Duke Blue Devils in a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden on May 27, 2010. The team presented him with a framed Duke jersey and a plaque with the winning NCAA bracket featuring Duke correctly in the center as the final winner. more>