The value of a Duke education will never be matched by online alternatives, President Richard Brodhead told alumni.
During his Reunion Weekend speech, Brodhead said generous donations from alumni are vital in keeping the Duke community fun and innovative. The combined Annual Fund gifts of the 10 returning classes totaled more than $14.7 million. In his speech, Brodhead also addressed the recent trend towards online course offerings.
“As you return to Duke, I would like to say welcome home,” Brodhead said. “Nice people, when they go back home, they bring a little gift.”
Over 4,000 alums returned to Duke this weekend, said Jeff Howard, Trinity ’76 who is president of the Duke Alumni Association board.
Although many things—like construction on campus and the addition of programs like DukeEngage—are different from when the alumni graduated, the fundamental campus environment remains unchanged, Brodhead said. He added that campus culture is a mix of work and play.
“Where the education begins and leaves off, who knows,” Brodhead said. “On this campus, the spirit of fun and discovery are all linked together.”
Among recent changes is the University’s move toward providing an online curriculum—this spring, Duke offered 11 courses through Coursera, an online education platform that provides the global community with free access to video lectures, assessments and discussion boards from notable institutions.
In response to concerns about the role that an expensive university will play in a world increasingly turning to inexpensive and convenient online classes, Brodhead said the value of a Duke education extends beyond what is learned within the classroom.
“There are things that you will never be able to learn online,” he said.
For example, online classes do not offer the opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities or interact with classmates who are the most valuable learning resources, he added.
Without contributions from alumni, the Duke experience would not be possible, Brodhead said.
“Sometimes it seems that universities raise money as if raising money is our goal,” he said.
Although at times universities seem to raise money solely for the sake of raising money, funds raised at the University allow for a 100 percent need-blind admissions process and provide students with an experience unique to Duke, Brodhead noted. Currently, the University spends more than $120 million each year to provide more than 50 percent of undergraduate students some form of financial aid.
Duke’s reputation continues to build and attract more applicants every year, Brodhead said. He added that alumni are responsible for ensuring future Duke students have the opportunity to experience Duke the same way that previous classes have.
The Class of 1983 raised the most with over $3.1 million, said Sterly Wilder, Trinity ’83, who is associate vice president of alumni affairs. The Class of 2008, back for their fifth reunion, was the most represented class with 631 alumni returning to campus.
“If you have the capacity to be better, then you have the obligation to be better,” Brodhead concluded, quoting men’s basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski.
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