When asked on their applications why they chose Duke, high school seniors now mention DukeEngage more frequently than Duke Basketball.
Eric Mlyn, executive director for DukeEngage who led the program from a conceptual idea to a nationally recognized initiative, was recently reappointed through June 30, 2016. Suzanne Shanahan, associate director for the Kenan Institute for Ethics, led a standard review that solicited feedback from more than 80 stakeholders.
Provost Peter Lange and Steve Nowicki, dean and vice provost of undergraduate education, made the joint decision to reappoint Mlyn.
“[Because Mlyn] was part of a committee that helped conceive DukeEngage, he was the obvious person... to direct the launch. And now that it has run three years successfully, he was the natural person to continue,” Nowicki said.
Initially funded by The Duke Endowment and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, DukeEngage is a $30 million initiative that fully funds immersive service opportunities for select undergraduates. More than 1,000 students have volunteered in more than 40 nations.
Shanahan cited Mlyn’s success in transforming a “big idea” into an established program and integrating DukeEngage into the wider civic engagement model as grounds for his reappointment. She added that in the summer of 2010, more than 900 students competed for 350 spots in six domestic and 19 international programs.
During the next six years, Mlyn said he plans to increase domestic programs and connect students’ engagement experiences with their curriculum at Duke. He will also assess data from the past three years to improve programs, including reviewing the effectiveness of faculty-led programs versus third-party providers.
Creating the program was challenging, but the additional five years will allow him an opportunity to innovate and perfect the program, he added.
Nowicki said he would like to further expand the program to allow more students to participate, but that it is a far-off goal due to the economic downturn.
The extension of five additional years is a standard length of reappointment for a director of a program like DukeEngage, Lange said, calling the reappointment a “strong vote of confidence” in Mlyn’s leadership and an opportunity for continuity. Lange added that DukeEngage fits well with Duke’s strategic vision and commitment to service.
Mlyn did he not consider any other post besides his current position. He previously served as the director of the Robertson Scholars Program and assistant director of the Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
“[Directing DukeEngage has] allowed me to have both a job and a mission,” he said. “I’ve been involved with this since the very beginning. It’s been deeply satisfying and an honor to lead this program.”
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