Provost Peter Lange presented the final draft of the University's long-range plan to the Academic Council Thursday, restating the plan's major themes before presenting it to the Board of Trustees next week. Titled "Building on Excellence," the document is the result of two years of effort and, pending the Trustees' approval, will guide University planning for the next five years.
"To be one of the few institutions that helps to define what is best in American higher education, we need to build on our current strengths and improve our weaknesses," Lange said.
To help him accomplish those goals, the council unanimously endorsed Lange's plan, the first detailed vision for Duke since the "Shaping our Future" plan of 1994. The new plan will coordinate a total of $727 million in investments over five years, Lange said. It centers around nine goals that range from developing the faculty to increasing technology use.
This final draft of "Building on Excellence" is very similar to the previous version, although its goals for student life have been more fully developed. "The quality of our student body will grow significantly in five years with recruitment and financial aid," said Lange, expressing hope that improving student life would have wide-ranging effects, especially in drawing top faculty.
To improve student life the long-range plan outlines 12 areas for the University to focus on. In addition to recruitment and financial aid, the plan includes suggestions for increased diversity, social space, interaction between students and professors, connections between undergraduate and graduate students and increased interaction with the Durham community.
IN OTHER BUSINESS: John Burness, senior vice president for public affairs and government relations, updated the council on the progress of the Neighborhood Partnership Initiative.
The program, started in 1996, attempts to build relationships between Duke and 12 neighboring Durham communities.
"Our hope is to improve the quality of life in these neighborhoods, but also to think about the effects of service, particularly on our students," he said. About 300 students, staff and faculty members currently volunteer in the seven local schools targeted by Duke.
Burness said that $4.4 million has been raised by the NPI for Durham. Among its work are projects to encourage home ownership, improve education, increase access to health care and foster interaction between Duke and the city.
"These are folks who need help in order to reach their goals," Burness said. "The loss of tobacco and textile companies means we really don't have a strong corporate presence in the downtown. What that means in our own community is that people look to Duke [to serve this function], and we don't have the revenue and budgets of a corporation."
Despite that obstacle, faculty members praised the NPI as a successful and ongoing effort-particularly the construction of Trinity Heights, a group of houses off East Campus for Duke staff and faculty members.
"I hope all this might encourage new professors to live in Durham instead of Chapel Hill," said Professor of Classical Studies Mary Boatwright, who said she has two children attending Durham Public Schools.
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