The Duke Digest - April 25, 2011
In Today's Issue:
- Foundation Initiative Boosts Entrepreneurship Networks in Partnership with Triangle Universities
- Duke MURI Projects to Receive FY11 DOD Awards
- Duke Expresses Concern Over Title VI Funding
- President Obama Nominates Duke Alum to be Ambassador to Jordan
- Brodhead Joins 136 College Presidents in Pledging Greater Efforts on Economic Development
- Assistant Secretary Ochoa Blogs About Duke Visit, Obama's Education Goals
FOUNDATION INITIATIVE BOOSTS ENTREPRENEURSHIP NETWORKS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TRIANGLE UNIVERSITIES
The Blackstone Charitable Foundation and a consortium of major Triangle universities Monday (today) announced the launch of the Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network, a new five-year initiative to help North Carolina's Research Triangle become headquarters for America's next high-growth companies with the greatest potential to create new jobs.
Partner universities include Duke University, North Carolina Central University, North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Durham-based Council for Entrepreneurial Development also will be part of the effort.
A $3.63 million gift from the Blackstone Charitable Foundation will support the formation of a dense network of entrepreneurial support in the region, similar to networks that exist in Silicon Valley and the Boston Corridor. By linking talented serial entrepreneurs to local start-ups, the Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network has the potential over 10 years to create more than 17,000 jobs, attract more than $800 million in seed, start-up and expansion capital, and generate more than $4 billion in revenue.
Read More:
Foundation Initiative Boosts Entrepreneurship (Today.Duke.edu)
Blackstone press release (Blackstone.com)
DUKE MURI PROJECTS TO RECEIVE FY11 DOD AWARDS
The Department
of Defense announced on Friday that it will issue 27 awards to academic
institutions to perform multidisciplinary basic research. The program
expects to award $191 million over five years. The Multidisciplinary
University Research Initiative (MURI) program supports research by teams
of investigators who intersect more than one traditional science and
engineering discipline in order to accelerate research progress. The
awards will be made by the Army Research Office (ARO), the Office of
Naval Research (ONR), and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research
(AFOSR), and are subject to successful negotiation between the
institution and DoD.
Duke is a member of three MURI projects selected to receive FY11 funding. For a complete list, click here.
Read More:
DOD Awaards $191 Million in Research Funding (defense.gov)
DUKE EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER TITLE VI FUNDING
President
Brodhead sent a letter to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan last week,
expressing concern over a slated disproportionate reduction in funding
for Title VI international programs. In the letter, President Brodhead
urges Secretary Duncan to take a strong stance in maintaining the United
States' international education capacity.
Read More:
Letter to Secretary Duncan on Title VI Funding (pdf)
PRESIDENT OBAMA NOMINATES DUKE ALUM TO BE AMBASSADOR TO JORDAN
President
Obama last week announced the nomination of Duke alum Stuart E. Jones
for Ambassador to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Jones is a career
member of the Senior Foreign Service and currently serves as the Deputy
Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. Prior to this post, Mr.
Jones served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and
Eurasian Affairs and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in
Cairo. Mr. Jones has held numerous positions both domestically and
abroad since joining the U.S. Foreign Service in 1987. Mr. Jones
received a B.A. from Duke University and a J.D. from the University of
Pennsylvania.
Read More:
President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts (WhiteHouse.gov)
BRODHEAD JOINS 136 COLLEGE PRESIDENTS IN PLEDGING GREATER EFFORT TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
A
group of 137 university presidents and chancellors has signed a letter
to Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke pledging to make specific, expanded
efforts to advance regional and national economic growth. The letter was
spearheaded by University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman, who
is co-chair of the Secretary’s National Advisory Council on Innovation
and Entrepreneurship. Along with individual institutions, AAU, the
Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, and the American
Association of State Colleges and Universities signed the letter. (NOTE:
Another university president agreed to sign the letter after it was
published earlier this week, raising the total number of universities
participating to 137.)
Read More:
University Presidents Pledge Greater Effort to Economic Development (pdf)
ASSISTANT SECRETARY OCHOA BLOGS ABOUT DUKE VISIT, OBAMA'S EDUCATION GOALSEduardo
Ochoa, Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education, writes about
the Department of Education's commitment to supporting "America's
Future Leaders" in a post on the White House Blog. Referencing an
earlier visit to Duke as a lecturer in Duke's Reimagining the Academy
series, Ochoa says,
"...through thoughtful dialogue in venues
like this and others like it, I have found great support for the
President’s goal [to become the most educated country in the world by
2020]. There is a hunger for higher education to come together and speak
with one voice about what it will take to reach the President’s goal,
and what higher education as a whole will do to make it happen."
Read More:
America's Future Leaders (WhiteHouse.gov)