Letter: Diversity, quality are not incommensurable goals

In his letter of Oct. 31, Professor Roy Weintraub argues that Duke's commitment to diversity in its faculty is at odds with the pursuit of excellence. I believe that diversity enhances our quality rather than diminishes it. Among those faculty we have recruited as part of our commitment to diversity are winners of the Pulitzer Prize, Guggenheim Fellowships, and major book and scientific awards. They have held important offices in prestigious scholarly organizations, and have come from institutions like Northwestern, Princeton, Columbia and Penn. This is not an either/or objective: diversity or excellence. Rather it is pursuit of both--and I believe we have demonstrated success in that pursuit.