In reference to The Chronicle’s Jan. 13 article “Duke sees record-high applications,” I’d like to suggest another reason for the remarkable increase in applications over the past two years: the remodeling of the Perkins Library complex and the addition of Bostock Library.
This has given Duke students a study space and common social space that has transformed West Campus life. Notice how tour groups now enjoy lingering in the library plaza, how visitors immediately seem to feel at home in its interior and how prospective applicants and their families tend to leave the facilities excited, even dazzled.
If the library is the heart of a university, we’ve had a transplant. Visiting applicants now hear the strong beat of that heart, and I have no doubt that this helps inspire a wish to join our community. Vivat Perkins and Bostock Libraries!
Dr. John Madden
Associate professor of pathology
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