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Priscilla Wald stands outside her Durham home, with a back drop of the Duke Forest behind her.
Priscilla Wald uses Literature to Track the Outbreak Narrative

Duke University professor Priscilla Wald used to have a recurring dream about learning how to fly. The R. Florence Brinkley Distinguished Professor of English said that in her dream, people all around her realized they could tap into this new ability, buried deep in their brains. One by one, they took off.  Wald learned how to fly too, and she woke up with a realization. “This dream, in a small way, is what teaching is,” she said, “Teaching and learning are about realizing something new about the world, about… read more »

Photo of Alice Mary Baldwin
Alice Mary Baldwin: A Pioneer In Women's Education

The Georgian-style auditorium on East Campus is named for Alice Mary Baldwin, who came to Trinity College in 1923 to serve as its first dean of women. Baldwin promoted equal educational opportunities for women throughout her long career at Duke. The university is honoring her during a week of celebrating its many founders. read more »

Graph created by Winnie Lu of the Duke Chronicle based on data from Office of Registrar
Undergraduate Enrollment Dips 6%, Leaves of Absence and Deferrals Spike for Fall Semester

As a unique semester moves forward, fewer students are along for the ride than last year.  Duke saw almost a sixfold increase in leaves of absence and close to a fivefold increase in deferrals, according to data provided by Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations.  read more »

Teaching: What Students Want Their Professors to Know

Our teaching-and-learning experts give you insights on what works in the classroom. Delivered on Thursdays. Teaching is written by Beth McMurtrie and Beckie Supiano. We love hearing from readers, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to us directly. You can also read more articles about teaching and learning. read more »

Collage reflective of Record giving this past fiscal year supports a range of innovative academic and scholarship programs across the university.
Record Year of Philanthropic Support for Research, Student Support, Teaching and Learning

More than 94,800 donors gave $519 million in gifts in fiscal year 2020, to support financial aid, research, faculty support, education, patient care, campus transformations, and the student experience at Duke. This marks the second-highest fundraising total in Duke history, and the fifth consecutive in which the university received more than $500 million in philanthropic support. read more »

Mark Anthony Neal, James B. Duke distinguished professor of African and African American studies, speaks at a 2015 event Chronicle File Photo
Q&A: Mark Anthony Neal Reflects on August K-Ville Protest, Duke's Role in Promoting Racial Justice

Nolan Smith, Duke men’s basketball’s director of operations, organized a Black Lives Matter protest at Krzyzewskiville Aug. 27. There, Mark Anthony Neal, James B. Duke distinguished professor of African and African American Studies, was joined by men’s basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski, women’s basketball head coach Kara Lawson and several student-athletes to address a gathered crowd.  read more »

Photo of Padraig O Tuama by Joran Martin Johansen for poets.org
Poem of Day "The Pedagogy of Conflict"

I When I was a child, I learnt to lie. When I was a child my parents said that sometimes, lives are protected by an undetected light lie of deception When I was a child, I learnt to lie. Now, I am more than twenty five and I’m alive because I’ve lied and I am lying still. Sometimes, it’s the only way of living.   II When I was a child I learnt that I could stay alive by obeying certain rules: let your anger cool before you blossom bruises on your brother’s shoulder; always show your manners at the table;… read more »

Photo of Dylan Thomas Photo credit: New Directions Publishing Corp.
Poem of Day "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night"

Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night. Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into… read more »

Diversed Raised Hands Image ANDRIY ONUFRIYENKO, GETTY IMAGES
8 Practical, Sustainable Steps to a Diverse Faculty

When it comes to the hiring and retention of faculty of color, the situation across higher education is, as the saying goes, “déjà vu all over again.” Colleges and universities seem trapped in a time loop, issuing proclamations and statements similar to those made by our predecessors decades ago with limited success. Campus activists are wondering: Can academe live up to its promises this time? read more »

Photo of Kwames Dawes, Andre Lambertson. Courtesy of Blue Flower Arts
Poem of Day "Dawn"

If in the blue gloom of early morning, the sky heavy with portents of snowfall, the air crisp with the cold that will gather about us for the long season ahead, you see the slick blackness of my car humming in the empty A lot; and if you see the light of the dash against my face, and notice my mouth moving  like a sputtering madman’s might, and if you see me wave a hand toward my head and pull away the knit tam I wear close to the skull, and if you see me rocking, eyes closed—then do not second guess yourself—it is… read more »