The Duke Endowment awarded the University $8 million to fund interdisciplinary doctoral training by developing new Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Collaboratives (IGECs).
IGECs will serve as Ph.D. certificates that provide opportunities for graduate students to participate in courses, group projects, seminars and summer experiences outside of their usual discipline. These programs will be organized by multiple units, which must include a doctoral program and combine at least two of academic divisions of the Graduate School.
Duke recently placed fifth in interdisciplinary science in the 2025 Times Higher Education World University rankings, and the new award reflects the University’s commitment “to deepen Duke’s reputation as an interdisciplinary leader.”
President Vincent Price said he is “grateful” for the award, believing it will ultimately provide students with more knowledge to draw upon as they tackle complex world issues. The program hopes to run IGECs related to three themes: the climate, artificial intelligence and a third interdisciplinary topic of “broad and strategic relevance” that has not yet been determined.
With the funding from the Duke Endowment, two to three IGECs are set to begin in fall 2026. Each IGEC will receive $2.2 million over the span of five years to support student costs, including tuition, mandatory fees and stipends. IGECs will also be provided with $30,000 per fiscal year to support programming expenses, $12,000 per fiscal year to hire a new faculty program director and a one-time allocation of $5,000 for marketing materials.
“Our faculty are not only at the top of their fields,” said Suzanne Barbour, dean of the Graduate School and vice provost for graduate education. “They are committed to working across disciplines to solve problems, and they are passionate about mentoring students and instilling an appreciation for interdisciplinary approaches in the next generation of scholars and researchers.”
The Office of the Provost and the Graduate School are currently receiving proposals for IGECs, with the deadline set for March 19. Decisions will be released April 30, and planning will take place between summer 2025 and summer 2026, before the first cohort is enrolled in fall 2026.
The Duke Endowment is excited to “further strengthen Duke’s leadership in interdisciplinary research and scholarship,” according to Charles Lucas III, chair of the endowment’s board of trustees.
The Duke Endowment — which is separate from the University — has been an impactful contributor to both Duke and North Carolina over the years.
In December, the private foundation announced $5 billion in upcoming grants across North and South Carolina over the next 15 years, and the endowment gave the University $2 million to fund the Provost’s Initiative on Pluralism, Free Inquiry and Belonging in the same week that the IGEC award was announced. The endowment made the largest single donation to the University in November 2023, a $100 million award in honor of both institutions’ centennial.
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Winston Qian is a Pratt sophomore and health/science editor for the news department.