Following months of talk surrounding the fate of the Primate Center, the University has decided to devote more resources to the center--at least in the short term--and will likely not renew the contract of current director Ken Glander once it expires June 30. The long-term fate of the center remains uncertain.
The move follows two separate reviews of the Primate Center. "The [latest] review indicated that we're not getting the most we can from the Primate Center in terms of what teaching and research goes on there," Lange said. "We would like to see a higher level of engagement."
Lange said that if the institution is to flourish, the next director of the center must devote more of his time to administering the center rather than his own research and teaching.
Glander, who has directed the center for about 10 years and is also professor of biological anthropology and anatomy, could not be reached for comment. Following the end of his term, the University will appoint an interim director.
The University has considered closing the Primate Center altogether several times since its opening in 1966. In 1975, for example, the program nearly shut down due to lack of funding. But it has remained open and now holds the world's largest collection of lemurs and other prosimian primates.
John Burness, senior vice president for public affairs and government relations, echoed Lange's sentiment, citing the review, which remains confidential.
"The center seems to have gotten fairly far from that research mission over time," Burness said. "The review really said, OIt's time for Duke to really decide what it wants to do with the Primate Center.'"
Lange declined to speculate on whether the center could succeed in the long term or whether Glander's departure as director could signal its closing in the near future.
"We hope to be able to continue the Primate Center, but at some point we have to decide if it's contributing to the intellectual life of the University," Lange said.
When the most recent review--conducted by internal faculty members--began last fall, speculation about the long-term prospects of the Primate Center cropped up again among professors and students. As the institute's future remains in doubt, however, the University has committed far greater resources to branches of the natural sciences that appear more cutting-edge, such as genomics.
Lange said there was no connection between the timing of the decision about the directorship and the absence of most undergraduates from campus during the summer, when reaction is likely to be less subdued.
He informed Primate Center employees of the changes in a memorandum late Wednesday afternoon, describing the regular review of all academic divisions and departments.
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