2.36 Billion Reasons

By the time the Campaign for Duke ended Dec. 31, the University's many administrators, benefactors and general enthusiasts had proved that they knew how to get down to business, raising over $2.36 billion from 1996 to 2003 and enlisting more than a quarter of a million people to support Duke in its many endeavors.

When evening came Feb. 28, the same group proved that they also knew how to party with style, celebrating the campaign's success with a chic reception and dinner party that filled the Sheffield Tennis Center with music, applause and, of course, a lot of confetti. The campaign's symbol--a stylized silhouette of the Chapel--graced everything from the candle-holder centerpieces to the chocolate towers that were served as dessert to the Pyrex beakers that contained alcohol mixtures not often seen in a laboratory.

As attendees sipped on bottomless glasses of red and white wine, President Nan Keohane offered a toast: "To Duke University: a future that's worthy of its past." And as they sat back to savor the last bits of their nut brittle, a sampling of the campaign's beneficiaries appeared in groups at the front of the room. All were dressed the part, with Pratt representatives in laboratory coats, Nasher Museum representatives in hard hats and Fuqua representatives in proper business attire. The Fuqua kids even brought their resumes.

The evening was filled with both applause and laughter, especially after a group of students from the School of Law presented their own a capella rendition of Billy Joel's "For the Longest Time."

Twice the crowd broke into chant, as the University's marching band and cheerleaders reminded alumni of what it was like to support the Blue Devils up close and personal. Sources say the evening's cheers were not quite as spirited as the screams of "Go to hell, Carolina, go to hell" that were heard as campaign participants posed on scaffolding in front of the Chapel earlier in the day--but Saturday night's shouts were enthusiastic all the same.