Murphy, Paul and Brown named Graduate Young Trustee finalists

Three students have been chosen as finalists to become Young Trustee for the graduate and professional student body.

Kelly Ryan Murphy, Christopher Paul and Seth Brown are eligible to be elected for the position, which consists of a three-year tenure on Duke’s Board of Trustees. The candidates will be presented to the General Assembly of the Graduate and Professional Student Council Feb. 2 and the voting members of the assembly will choose one trustee.

Hunter H. Rudd, a first-year master’s in business administration student and a member of the graduate young trustee selection committee, said that the committee received a wide range of strong applications for the young trustee position.

“We were incredibly satisfied with not only the quality of the applicants, in terms of their experience and different backgrounds, but also in their vision,” he said. “We saw a wide swath of applicants that had a really incredibly array of different options that Duke could pursue.”

Kelly Ryan Murphy

“This is an amazing opportunity to have an impact on the university that I’ve grown to love,” said Murphy, a third-year medical student currently conducting neuroscience research.

Murphy said that she applied for the position because it would give her the opportunity to help form the strategy of the University and bring the undergraduate and graduate schools together in cooperation.

She said that her previous leadership roles as editor-in-chief of the Duke Science Review and as a Feagin Leadership Scholar will allow her to succeed in the position of Young Trustee if elected.

“I think that I can bring people and ideas together,” she said.

Christopher Paul

Paul, a Ph.D. student in the University Program in Environmental Policy, said that his experience with the interdisciplinary nature of the University makes him a strong candidate. As his Ph.D. program touches both the Nicholas School of the Environment and the Sanford School of Public Policy, he explained that he has been exposed to the many facets of the University.

“I’m very interested in the interdisciplinary nature and the global reach of the university,” he said. “I’m eager to serve the University in another way.”

Paul noted that he has had practice serving in an advisory capacity as a member of the Graduate School Board of Visitors.

He said that he decided to apply for the position because he has found other leadership roles in the University to be rewarding and wants to assist in promoting Duke’s mission to bring together top creative thinkers.

“I think Duke represents the best of society and the best of universities,” he said.

Seth Brown

Brown—who is pursuing a master’s degree in public policy and business administration through the Sanford School of Public Policy and the Fuqua School of Business—said that his service-oriented personality makes him a good fit for the position of Young Trustee.

Having served as an officer in the U.S. army from 2009-2014, Brown noted that he has had numerous experiences serving in leadership roles and performs well in strategic positions.

“Duke is very much a part of who I am,” he said. “It’s more than a university, it’s a home.”

Paul explained that the application process for Young Trustee involved a written application outlining the candidate’s activities followed by an interview process for the top 11 applicants. Then, the GPSC Screening Committee selected the top three candidates.

During the GPSC meeting Feb. 2, the candidates will give short presentations about themselves and then members of the General Assembly will be allowed to ask them questions before voting to select the winner.

“I was just happy they deemed me a worthy candidate,” Brown said. “I really care about Duke.”