In response to the thoughtful letter by Jordan Elkins about his experiences at Duke Kunshan University, I am delighted that he has had an excellent academic experience, improved his Chinese and travelled extensively in China. At the same time, his letter provides insight into some of the challenges faced by the first DKU students during the past several months. Even so Jordan and his classmates have brought great energy and creativity to our first semester, certainly shaping the student culture of DKU for many semesters to come. Most notably, everyone has been remarkably flexible regarding continuing delays in construction of the DKU campus.
As Jordan's letter reveals, a start-up enterprise isn't always smooth. Here let me only address the health care situation. At the Swissotel we were two blocks from Kunshan's best comprehensive hospital which provided medical service in several critical and minor cases. Now that we are at the campus center, a dedicated car and driver are available from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. for immediate delivery to a hospital. Ambulance service is also available. Urgent but not life threatening situations are handled by day-time transportation either to a hospital or to a bilingual, international clinic in Suzhou. Routine medical care can also be sought at either location. In addition, we are preparing to open a clinic on campus, with bilingual medical assistance, soon.
Jordan Elkin's letter reveals great expectations for DKU—I trust that in time both he and his classmates will be proud to have been a member of the pioneering class.
Mary Brown Bullock
Executive Vice-Chancellor
Duke Kunshan University
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