Following student demands that the new West Union be named after Julian Abele—the black architect who designed West Campus—an advisory group will recommend to President Richard Brodhead how best to recognize Abele's contributions to the University.
Brodhead announced the plans to consider how to honor Abele's legacy at this weekend's winter Board of Trustees meeting at the Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club. Executive Vice President Tallman Trask will lead the group of students, faculty, alumni and others in making recommendations to Brodhead about Abele, who led the design of the University's campus from the 1920s until the 1940s. The advisory group will be tasked with bringing its recommendations to Brodhead and the Board's Committee on Facilities and Environment at its February 2016 meeting.
"There was enthusiasm and happiness at the notion that this is the time to decide what's the right thing," Brodhead said.
Abele's portrait currently hangs in the Allen Building lobby, where it was placed in 1988. Another portrait was also placed in the recently-renovated Gothic Reading Room in Rubenstein Library, along with the portraits of other former Duke presidents, board chairs and dignitaries.
The renaming of West Union after Abele will "certainly" be under consideration, but Brodhead said other options will also be assessed.
"If you're going to have a deliberation, you shouldn't begin by requiring that the conclusion be known in advance. There are actually lots of possibilities," Brodhead said.
The advisory group that will analyze the architect's contributions to the University is the second such group created in light of recent student demands. Brodhead recently announced the creation of a Task Force on Bias and Hate Issues chaired by Kelly Brownell, dean of the Sanford School of Public Policy, and Dean of Social Sciences Linda Burton that is expected to make recommendations by April 2016.
Recent issues related to campus diversity and inclusivity were also a topic of discussion at the meeting.
"The Trustees are interested in everything that affects the welfare of this campus," Brodhead said. "They are strongly in support of the idea that it's a good time for all of us to learn what works well here, what works less well, what we could make better and how we could move in that direction. People did not regard the events of the last month as some horrible disturbance or distortion of Duke. They saw it as a challenge which is in the tradition of Duke."
At the meeting—the Board's second of the academic year—the Trustees also approved a master's degree in international environmental policy for Duke Kunshan University. The program will be a joint degree through the Nicholas School of the Environment and Sanford School of Public Policy designed to address environmental issues in China by training students in environmental research and law. It received Academic Council approval Nov. 19 and will begin in Fall 2017 as a four-semester program that allows DKU students to spend one semester at Duke.
Additionally, the program will facilitate a one-semester program in China for master's students at Sanford and the Nicholas School. It is the fourth DKU master's program to be approved, joining the medical physics, global health and management studies programs.
In other business:
After the University recently announced the new Washington Duke Scholars program for first-generation students, the Trustees heard an update on the program and an update on financial aid. The Board also heard updates about the University's information technology systems—including online courses and data security—as well as campus safety and security after a number of recent on-campus crimes.
The Trustees met with Gen. Martin Dempsey, Graduate School '84 and a Rubenstein Fellow who will begin teaching next Spring. Dempsey shared with the Board some of his experience as former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
One of Duke's main schools also presents an update at each Board meeting—this weekend it was the Nicholas School of the Environment, which hosted the Trustees at the Environment Hall.
The Board approved tributes to seniors Laura Roberts and Jay Ruckelshaus for being named Rhodes Scholars.
Lastly, the Trustees marked the 25th anniversary of the founding of DUMAC, the professional group which manages the University's endowment. Duke's endowment was estimated at a record-high $7.3 billion following the last fiscal year.
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