The Duke Digest - January 8, 2010

In Today's Issue:

  • Duke to Adopt Federal Direct Student Loan Program
  • Two Duke Researchers to Attend PECASE Awards Ceremony at White House
  • Duke Receives more than 26,400 Applications for Admission
  • Duke-UNC Report Recommends Ways to Discourage Muslim-American Radicalization

DUKE TO ADOPT FEDERAL DIRECT STUDENT LOAN PROGRAM
Beginning with the 2010-11 academic year, Duke University will join thousands of other U.S. colleges and universities in the Federal Direct Student Loan Program, campus officials said Friday. Duke students with federal Stafford or PLUS loans will borrow their funds from the federal government instead of from multiple private lenders.

"Duke remains strongly committed to its financial aid program and the principle that a student's financial resources should not be a barrier to enrollment," said Duke President Richard H. Brodhead. "We think this new approach will enhance the program for Duke students by providing greater ease of access and more transparency in the loan process."

Read More:
Duke to Adopt Federal Direct Student Loan Program (Duke News)


TWO DUKE RESEARCHERS TO ATTEND PECASE AWARDS CEREMONY AT WHITE HOUSE
Two Duke University Researchers will travel to Washington on January 13th to receive the prestigious Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering (PECASE). Chris Dwyer, assistant professor of computer science and electrical and computer engineering, and Adrienne Stiff-Roberts, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, received notification of the awards in July 2009. The ceremony will take place at the White House.

Read More:
Profile of Stiff-Roberts (Duke Research)
Dwyer's Homepage (Duke.edu)


DUKE RECEIVES MORE THAN 26,400 APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION
More than 26,400 high school seniors have submitted applications for admission to Duke University this year, eclipsing last year’s record by 2,500, or 11 percent. This marks the third year in a row in which the number of applications has set a record. Last year, the school received 23,899 applications for admission, which at the time was a nearly 17 percent increase over the previous record. The number of applicants to Duke has increased by almost 6,000 in the last two years alone.

California was the most represented state among the applicants, with New York second and North Carolina a close third. The greatest growth among applicants in recent years has been among students from the West Coast and from overseas. The applicant pool is fairly evenly divided between males and females. Other demographic data was not yet available. The students will receive notices of acceptance in early April.

Read More:
Duke Receives More Than 26,400 Applications for Admission (Duke News)


DUKE-UNC REPORT RECOMMENDS WAYS TO DISCOURAGE MUSLIM-AMERICAN RADICALIZATION
Despite what seems to be a troubling increase in terror-related activity by Muslim-Americans (the shootings at Fort Hood, the recent arrests of five young men in Pakistan, etc.), a new report by scholars at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill says the number of radicalized Muslim-Americans is still small. 

The report, which analyzes the extent of terrorist violence by Muslim-Americans since 9/11 and identifies strategies to head off “home-grown” terrorism, recommends that policymakers reinforce successful anti-radicalization activities now under way in Muslim-American communities to address this low -- but not insignificant -- level of terrorist activity.

The report, “Anti-Terror Lessons of Muslim American Communities,” was co-authored by Schanzer, associate professor at Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy; Charles Kurzman, professor of sociology at UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences; and Ebrahim Moosa, associate professor of religion at Duke. It summarizes two years of research in Muslim-American communities in Seattle, Houston, Buffalo and Raleigh-Durham, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Read More:
Report Recommends Ways to Discourage Muslim-American Radicalization (Duke News)
Report: "Anti-Terror Lessons of Muslim-Americans"(pdf from Sanford School of Public Policy)