The 2025 Graduate/Professional Young Trustee finalists shared their vision for the University as it navigates changing higher education, research and athletic landscapes at an open forum Monday in Rubenstein Library’s Holsti-Anderson Family Assembly Room.
The three graduate/professional finalists, Austin Beason, Keanu Valibia and Dakota Douglas, spoke at a panel moderated by Kiara Ekeigwe, Trinity ‘24, chair of the Graduate/Professional Young Trustee nominating committee and master’s candidate in global health.
After the office of Margaret Epps, secretary to the Board of Trustees and chief of staff to the president, collects feedback from attendees of the open forum, the nominating committee will recommend one undergraduate and one graduate/professional student to President Vincent Price.
Opening remarks
In his opening statement, Beason affirmed his belief that “the best part about Duke is the people.” He said that once he decided to return to school, the positive interactions with University community members compelled him to apply only to Duke.
Beason also shared that becoming a father has given him a “purpose” to join the University’s leaders in “laying the foundation for the future that the next generations of Duke students will inherit.”
Douglas said her relationship to Duke “encompasses” former president Terry Sanford’s notion of “outrageous ambition.” She emphasized the importance of “being able to recognize the histories that we all carry, focus on the innovation that we have in our present context and also think about what it means to be a collaborative partner in the future to ensure that this university can persist into the next century and beyond.”
Valibia shared that as a first-generation student from a family that immigrated to the United States, he feels a “moral obligation” to provide opportunities for others for whom education may not be “affordable or accessible.” He shared that his time as president of Duke Graduate and Professional Student Government has exposed him to the work “expected as a Young Trustee,” such as navigating “intense conversations” and collaborating with University administrators.
Q: Public confidence in higher education has dropped over the last decade. In your view, what has contributed to this decline, and how can Duke help reverse this trend?
Beason, Valibia and Douglas all pointed to the unaffordability and inaccessibility of higher education as contributing factors to the decline in trust, each discussing the need for programs like the Initiative for the Students from the Carolinas.
Valibia added that misinformation and disinformation have also harmed the reputation of higher education, especially through claims “attacking medical science” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In response to that distrust, Beason highlighted the value of recruiting local talent and increasing the transparency of research and funding in higher education.
Douglas added that biases and potential harms of artificial intelligence systems have decreased public confidence in higher education. However, she believes that Duke is positioned to be a leader in “driving change” with regards to AI.
Q: As artificial intelligence increasingly reshapes education and research, what strategic measures should Duke University pursue to effectively integrate AI into its academic programs and research initiatives while protecting foundational principles such as intellectual autonomy, ethical scholarship and academic integrity?
Beason discussed his belief that AI is “here to stay” and that the best approach is “trying to embrace it.” He pointed to promising applications in education and health care, but emphasized being “cautious” and “open about the use of [AI].”
Douglas believes that there is “merit to the idea of techno-optimism,” noting that leaders in higher education have the responsibility to “create rules that protect the use of AI,” placing “restraints” on its uses but allowing students to “use it cooperatively.”
Valibia echoed the other candidates’ views of AI, adding that the implementation of AI differs across domains. Consequently, he believes that Duke should combine perspectives on AI from across the University through interdisciplinary committees and discuss department-specific “guardrails.”
Q: When reflecting on your time at Duke, who has had the most impact on you and why?
Douglas shared that her grandmother — who was a patient of Duke Hospital and once a tobacco sharecropper for the American Tobacco Company, which was owned and operated by the Duke family — had an impactful presence on her time at the University. She shared that understanding her grandmother’s life primed her to be able to “empathize with the various community legacies that make up the fabric and are the life force of Duke University.”
Valibia shared that he has been shaped by the sacrifice and hard work of his mother, who raised him and his siblings while pursuing a nursing associate’s degree.
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Reflecting on the diverse backgrounds of participants in the Executive Master of Business Administration program, Beason said he was inspired and encouraged by classmate Gerald Grant, Allan H. Friedman distinguished professor of neurosurgery and chair of the neurosurgery department, who is now also pursuing his MBA.
Q: In the changing landscape of college athletics, what do you think are the biggest challenges for Duke in maintaining highly successful college athletics programs while preserving academic excellence?
Through conversations with Black student-athletes, Douglas said she learned about racial disparities in the “profitability of name, image and likeness.” She believes the University has a “unique opportunity” to support students in ensuring they have “equitable access to NIL deals” and providing resources on financial decision-making.
Valibia stressed the importance of “protecting our student-athletes” and ensuring they receive “the compensation that they deserve while also making sure that we're balancing out resources for the rest of the University.” He pointed to facility upkeep and support for gender equity across the University’s sports as other financial priorities when it comes to athletics.
To Beason, the University should focus on “deservedly compensating athletes for the entertainment value and the revenue that they bring into large institutions” and “preserving academic excellence,” a discussion that he believes centers on what the University should “truly value.” He also suggested creating a new program to help student athletes navigate NIL challenges.
Michael Austin is a Trinity junior and managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.