Baldwin Scholars Young Trustee endorsement

After interacting with the three finalists and engaging in careful deliberation, the Baldwin Scholars have decided to endorse David Robertson for Young Trustee. David has exhibited a commitment to the various identities and experiences contained in the student body, as well as those in the local, Durham community. As the Director of the Common Ground retreat, David has worked to cultivate spaces for the discussion of gender, sexuality, race and socioeconomic status. As Vice President for Durham and Regional Affairs, David has worked to create more opportunities for interaction between the university and Durham through advocating for an expanded route of the Bull City Connector, as well as for student involvement in Durham’s crafting of its strategic plan. And, as a first-generation student and member of the 1G network, David understands the importance of making a Duke education more accessible to more people.

The Baldwin Scholars community also recognized strong candidates in both Anna and Nikolai. Anna has significant experience as a student leader in Pratt as Engineering Student Government President, as well as in her founding of the Pratt Academic Action Committee. She exhibited a deep commitment to Duke as a research institution and promised to advocate for the preservation of paid undergraduate research positions. Nikolai exhibited remarkable depth of knowledge in regards to the current activities of the Board of Trustees. Additionally, Nikolai had specific, actionable proposals for improving the experience for women on campus, as well as for increasing faculty diversity on departmental level.

Ultimately, the Baldwin Scholars chose to endorse David due to his commitment to representing the many diverse interests of the Duke community and his proven track record of doing so. The Young Trustee role should not be representative of any one constituency of Duke, but rather should speak to the many different entities and experiences of Duke. We trust that David will be a confident, capable and empathic young trustee and are enthused to offer our support for his candidacy.

Baldwin Scholars