Jones’ replacement must continue mission

When Greg Jones became the vice president and vice provost for the University’s new Office of Global Strategy and Programs, his primary goal was to “facilitate a network of reciprocal relationships” with Duke’s programs abroad. After less than a year in the position, it is far too soon to assess Jones’ impact on the office, though he was instrumental in the development of Duke Kunshan University and the implementation of the University’s global strategy. There are, however, several key factors to consider as the University launches a search this Fall to find Jones’ permanent replacement and continues to develop the office and its international presence.

First, the Office of Global Strategy and Programs should increase its focus on bringing Duke’s international relationships back to campus. Although the University should be commended for bringing gifted international students to Durham, it may prove beneficial to increase the visibility of Duke’s many international partnerships.

Although maintaining more than 300 educational partnerships internationally is a full-time job in itself, these relationships are worth far less if students and faculty in Durham do not know that they exist. The office must be more present in the daily lives of students by marketing the updates from international campuses and centers across different academic departments.

Study abroad programs are already well-publicized, and approximately 50 percent of undergraduates take advantage of those opportunities, representing the highest rate of participation of any top 10 private research university. As students go about making their decisions regarding where to study, however, Duke’s own campuses and partnerships are often not a major part of the conversation.

This point is especially relevant in talking about the new campus in Kunshan, China. Last year students and faculty alike were frustrated by the lack of transparency and publicity related to the progress being made on the new campus. Without consistent, reliable information, those on campus cannot help but question the decisions being made for programs abroad. As the day-to-day coordinator of the ongoing project, the Office of Global Strategy and Programs is best equipped to relay timely information from abroad back to campus.

The new appointee—Michael Merson, who will serve as interim vice president and vice provost for global strategy and programs—should also consider the strained relationship between portions of the faculty and the Kunshan project. With growing unrest about the nature of DKU, now could be a unique opportunity to extend an olive branch to those professors concerned with Duke’s future and brand abroad.

Hopefully, the recent decision by Fuqua faculty members to reject the proposed design of two Kunshan graduate business programs will not widen the rift between the administration and faculty but instead highlight the necessity of having more open discussion about the academic programs in China.

We commend Merson for making it a priority this summer to meet with Fuqua faculty members and professors to construct program proposals for Kunshan. We also hope that he considers some of the other factors presented above as the University searches for a more permanent director.