As Duke Kunshan University takes a more tangible form, recent developments are increasing faculty members’ involvement and interaction with the project.
Duke’s new campus in Kunshan, China—scheduled to open Spring 2013—has been a point of contention for some University faculty members who have expressed concerns that their voices have gone unheard. But the addition of new faculty advisory groups and appointments of new DKU leaders are two measures abating that tension.
“There is definitely a knowledge gap, but faculty are engaging and administrators are inviting that engagement,” Academic Council Chair Susan Lozier, professor of physical oceanography, said. “We are sort of pulling together all of these concerns.... We’re getting to where we want to be.”
The China Faculty Council and the Academic’s Council’s global priorities committee are two recently created initiatives promoting faculty input, as members will be able to review DKU from an advisory role.
The executive committee of Academic Council, the global priorities committee and the China Faculty Council each met Friday to discuss China initiatives and to hear presentations from William Kirby, T. M. Chang professor of China studies at Harvard University. Kirby, whose research focuses on higher education in contemporary China, was named Duke’s senior adviser on China Sept. 15. He has been involved with DKU since he presented to the administration last December.
Although DKU originated in the offices of Duke administrators, Kirby said faculty will eventually decide the fate of the campus since they are designing and developing academic and degree programs.
“I have confidence that DKU will be successful because I have confidence in the Duke faculty,” Kirby said in an interview, noting that his role is not to design but to advise.
Lozier, who attended all three meetings Friday, said Kirby presented DKU in the broader context of Chinese higher education. Kirby addressed many of the faculty’s concerns, such as academic freedom and DKU’s potential popularity among Chinese students. Lozier added that Kirby will be a positive resource to the faculty.
Other appointments are providing faculty members with resources in the development of DKU. Nora Bynum has been named associate vice provost and managing director for DKU and other initiatives in China.
Administrators are reaching out to faculty in order to increase transparency, Bynum said, noting that there will always be information administrators are not able to share publicly.
Mingzheng Shi, who currently serves as the director of New York University-Shanghai, will become the executive director of DKU this Spring when he finishes his teaching appointment at NYU.
Even though he does not know Shi and Kirby personally, China Faculty Council Chair Paul Haagen, professor of law and senior associate dean for academic affairs at the School of Law, said he believes such leadership is essential for DKU’s success because they have an extensive knowledge of China.
Shi could not be reached for comment.
‘A collective process’
Groups like the China Faculty Council are creating necessary platforms for discussion.
“There are risks and rewards [to DKU], but I think that [faculty members] don’t feel they’re being shut out of the picture anymore,” Haagen said.
Kirby joined 24 faculty members at the first-ever meeting of the China Faculty Council, which has representation from almost every Duke school and institute, Haagen said. The council focused largely on their charge to discuss and offer advice about various China initiatives—not just DKU.
“We’re trying to engage creative thinking about the approach to China, ranging from courses to research projects,” Haagen said, noting that some parts of the University will focus on DKU more than others.
The council has $100,000 to provide seed money for potential China initiatives, ranging from additional study abroad programs to faculty research projects, during the academic year, he said. The money, which comes from University central funds, could fund various projects even if the council did not exist. The council’s purpose is to facilitate the distribution of these funds for China-specific ventures.
Haagen added that council members engaged in a candid discussion about DKU with Kirby. The council will probably not be able to solve many of the questions that faculty members still have, such as those about financial matters or degree program approval, he said, noting that he is not yet sure if he supports DKU.
“I certainly understand the attraction—I don’t entirely understand the ways in which it will work out,” Haagen said. “But I don’t believe I actually have reached firm conclusions on it, and if I did, I should suppress them because this is a collective process. My role is to facilitate.”
Lozier said that as faculty gain more information and more opportunities to participate in the project, their support for DKU is becoming tangible.
‘A very large opportunity’
Last Spring, faculty members were waiting for someone to step forward and express their confidence in the project. Lozier said these faculty members are starting to emerge, particularly those involved in the Fuqua School of Business and the Duke Global Health Institute—schools on target to offer the first DKU degree programs.
“I would not name any one person, but I’ve met individuals who are very enthusiastic,” Lozier said. “As they learn more about [academic and research] opportunities, they will be engaged. Before, people didn’t understand completely about the initiative.”
DGHI faculty are expected to vote on their potential programs later this month. Fuqua faculty have not set a date for a vote on its DKU academic programs.
Thomas Metzloff, a professor of law who serves on the global priorities committee, said he still does not have enough information to form an opinion on the project, though he hopes it performs well. He said many faculty members—particularly those who will not be academically involved with DKU—are more concerned about their own work, though they ultimately hope DKU is successful on the University’s behalf.
“I have no doubt that the administrators appreciate and understand our concerns,” Metzloff said. “It may be another year before we know which parts of Duke are excited and committed... But there’s no reason to assume [DKU] is automatically going to fail.”
Kirby said it is natural to have skepticism about a project of this scale, but faculty should not let those reservations prevent Duke from moving forward. He added that DKU would be the first international institution of its kind and a great asset to the Durham campus—faculty members will be proud of what they create.
“If you’re too afraid to make mistakes then you’re not ambitious enough,” Kirby said. “Duke has an opportunity at the moment to build the most important international university in China.... This is a very large opportunity that certainly will not be there in 10 or 20 years.”
Although some faculty remain undecided about DKU, Lozier said she is pleased to see more professors getting involved in the process. More professors who are not members of the Academic Council, for example, are attending meetings in order to learn about DKU.
“We haven’t played a major role to date, but now we’re set up to play a role,” she said.
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