Members of the Yale Corporation traded the New England chill for Carolina skies this past weekend to exchange ideas with University administrators.
The Corporation is Yale’s governing body, similar to Duke’s Board of Trustees. The Corporation meets about five times a year and holds one of those meetings at another college campus. This year, the body chose Duke as its visiting location and took the opportunity to visit alumnus President Richard Brodhead, who attended Yale through his undergraduate and graduate years and served as dean of Yale College before he assumed the presidency at Duke. The meetings took place behind closed doors, said Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations.
“This year they chose to come to Duke because we’re obviously peers and strong competitors in a number of areas,” Schoenfeld said. “We have some similarities, but also a lot of differences.”
Brodhead, who is currently in Singapore for the grand opening of the National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Members of the Corporation discussed various University programs with Duke officials, including the integration of Duke University Health System into the University and unique approaches of the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences and the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy.
“They were really interested in exploring how Duke is able to develop and sustain such an interdisciplinary environment,” Schoenfeld said. “I’m sure our people were very candid about opportunities and challenges in the programs,” he said.
Gila Reinstein, associate director of public affairs at Yale, could not be reached for comment Monday.
Schoenfeld did not take part in all of the weekend’s meetings and could not comment on Brodhead’s specific conversations with the Corporation.
“I probably shouldn’t paraphrase what he said,” Schoenfeld said. “But he found it to be an enjoyable and instructive experience.”
Although the Board of Trustees has not visited other campuses in recent years, members have discussed the possibility, Schoenfeld said. He added that several trustees offer unique perspectives through serving on other university boards as well.
Although the Board of Trustees is scheduled to hold its first Fall meeting this weekend, it is unlikely much of the University’s discussions with the Corporation will be included in the talks. Schoenfeld added, however, that conversations among institutions are still beneficial.
“Being in conversations and meetings, you always learn something when you’re talking to your peers, when you’re meeting with and sharing information with people who have the same challenges that you have,” he said. “So it’s always a valuable opportunity to trade and share and commiserate with colleagues at other institutions.”
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