President Nan Keohane delivered her final State of the University speech in the Sanford Institute for Public Policy Monday night at a special joint session of Duke Student Government and the Graduate and Professional Student Council.
Keohane outlined nine goals she wants to have accomplished by July 2004, when she steps down from her position as University president. Some of her objectives included completing the Campaign for Duke, improving the relationship between the University and the Duke University Health System and strengthening the Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership.
Keohane also discussed the Women's Initiative, set to be released today, and how she hopes to implement and address issues raised in the report. She gave symbolic hard copies of the report to both DSG President Matt Slovik and GPSC President Rob Saunders.
"There are some very important observations about the lives of students across the University," Keohane told the student representatives. "We learned a lot about some of the challenges that women at Duke face. We know for [undergraduate women] there are some pressures that you face which are both awkward in the classroom and outside the classroom that make your lives somewhat different than that of your male classmates."
Another goal for Keohane is the strengthening of undergraduate life. "We've taken a number of steps as you know, including the freshmen on East and now all sophomores on West and the effort to think carefully about the curriculum in both Trinity and Pratt," she said. "And with the very strongly focused intent, [Vice President for Student Affairs] Larry Moneta and his colleagues are working to improve the spaces students enjoy around the Bryan Center and West Union. I don't think anybody would claim that the Bryan Center walkway is their favorite spot on campus."
Highlighting the recent hiring of Vice President of Campus Services Kemel Dawkins, Keohane also elaborated on her hope to increase and support recruitment and retention of minority administrators. "We want to make sure we make good on our belief that diversity matters," Keohane said.
Keohane also noted that this year will be a transition year for the Duke community, with the search for successors to replace the chancellor for health affairs, dean of the faculty of Arts and Sciences, the director of the Nasher Museum of Art and the dean of the School of Nursing.
"It's important that all of these things be carried forward, but it's important that people understand there is a lot of continuity," she said.
With next year's president in mind, Keohane also said that she would support members of her current administrative team as they transition and help the new president adjust to the job.
Both undergraduate and graduate students had the opportunity to ask Keohane questions from the floor. Graduate students raised concerns about Duke's plans to accommodate families--particularly assisting with childcare, maternity leave and lactation rooms. In response, Keohane described tentative plans to make "targeted financial investments" to local childcare providers in return for reserving spots for children of Duke faculty, staff and students.
Additional questions were raised by students about the University's international reputation and visibility, which qualities Keohane would hope for in her successor and how she could assure that the future president would be mindful of the minority experience at Duke. Keohane also addressed the lack of a Nobel Laureate on the faculty.
"We're less blessed with folks like Nobel Prize winners, but I think there are a number of reasons for that," she said, citing previous weaknesses in traditional Nobel Prize subject areas like the sciences and the University's decision to develop scholars internally rather than hiring from other universities. After the speech, students voiced their approval of Keohane's speech and the open dialogue she created between DSG, GPSC and the administrators present.
"Matt and I have worked together pretty successfully for the past five or six months and, to be honest, one of the reasons we have these sessions is that in the past nobody talked. So one of the reasons is to start this type of dialogue," Saunders said.
Slovik agreed. "I think the meeting went very well. I think we had a wonderful opportunity to have excellent dialogue between the two groups and President Keohane," he said.
Fuqua School of Business student and GPSC representative Ian Lawrence found the meeting helpful as well, noting that Keohane addressed nearly all of his concerns. "I think she covered all of my questions, including her goals for the new year," he said.
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