During their junior year, the Class of 2011 experienced a series of ups and downs. While the University grappled with the economic downturn by implementing budget cuts, it also racked up two NCAA championships to boast.
In Spring 2009 President Richard Brodhead announced a plan to cut the University’s budget by $125 million over three years. In an October report, the University exposed a 29.1 percent decrease in net assets, from $8.6 billion to $6.1 billion, attributed largely to decreasing investments. Due to market turmoil, the year saw a decrease in donations to the University. Funds fell 22 percent to $302 million.
The Duke Administrative Reform Team instituted a vacancy management program and reduced overtime hours to lower administrative and operational costs. The University also saved an estimated $27.5 million when 295 out of the eligible 895 bi-weekly employees as well as 89 of the eligible 198 monthly employees accepted retirement incentive packages in the summer and Fall. In December the University also announced 10 percent budget cuts for every department in the Trinity School of Arts and Sciences. In total, the cuts resulted in approximately $60 million in savings, officials said.
The Fall semester marked the opening of the Hub, the office in the upper floor of the Bryan Center where students can purchase tickets for events both on Duke campus and in Durham. The Office of Student Activities and Facilities initiated the program, which features discounted prices, to spur more students to participate in activities and events in the surrounding communities. Notable speakers such as New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and John Bolton, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, also came to campus.
The year is also known for the spread of the H1N1 influenza virus—informally known as swine flu—across the country. At least 50 cases of infected students were confirmed, and health administrators suspected as many as 120 students had contracted the virus.
In October the University also announced that it would fund the DukeEngage program after some expressed worry that the nearly $30 million donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Charlotte-based Duke Endowment would no longer be sufficient due to hard economic times. Rather then minimize or end the program, Duke took the financial burden on its shoulders.
In November the University revealed a Climate Action Plan that intended to reduce Duke’s carbon emissions by 45 percent by 2024. The most expensive plan within this goal was the renovation of the East Campus Steam Plant, which was projected to reduce emissions by 85 percent and cost between $20 and $25 million.
The preliminary steps of the Duke Kunshan University were also put into motion. The first phase would be a partnership between the Fuqua School of Business, the government of Kunshan and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, said Trustees Chair and Democratic state Sen. Dan Blue, Law ’73, in December. Kunshan agreed to provide 200 acres of land for research, education and housing.
In October Duke also announced plans for Keohane 4E, the newest addition to Keohane dormitory. Keohane 4E will serve as the first step in overhauling the housing system. Construction began in February 2010.
Three Duke football players were charged with discharging a weapon on Duke property in January 2010. Freshmen John Drew, Kyle Griswould and Brandon Putnam were dismissed from the team and sentenced to a year of supervised probation, 140 hours of community service and $500 fines each.
Disaster also struck January 14 when Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and its surrounding area suffered a massive earthquake. The quake brought the city down to rubble and left nearly 2 million people without food, water or shelter. During the following months, student organizations and campus officials rallied to organize donations and service trips to the area in order to provide aid.
Crystal Mangum, notoriously known for falsely accusing three Duke varsity lacrosse players of rape—was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, five counts of arson, assault and battery, identity theft, communicating threats, injury to personal property, resisting a public officer and three counts of misdemeanor child abuse, according to February jail documents.
To cap off the year, after nearly a decade without a NCAA title in men’s basketball, the team won Duke a fourth national championship against the Butler bulldogs. Thousands came to watch the game in Cameron Indoor Stadium while others watched it live in Indianapolis as Duke won by two points. The team also garnered two victories over the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as an ACC championship.
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