As Duke Kunshan University kicks off its second semester, a leadership change is in store.
Nora Bynum, vice provost for DKU and China initiatives, will leave her position next month to direct the Science Action Center at Chicago's Field Museum. She will be replaced by James Dobbins, director of Duke's graduate program in medical physics, who will take the role under a new name—associate vice provost and director of the DKU Program Office at Duke.
Bynum has worked with DKU since 2010 and been in her current position since 2012, overseeing the Chinese campus as it went through a long planning and construction process before opening in Fall 2014.
"In a project on which a lot of people have worked really hard, it's hard to find someone who's worked harder than Nora on making DKU a reality," said Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for government relations and public affairs.
Dobbins has appointments in radiology, biomedical engineering and physics. In addition to founding Duke's graduate medical physics program in Durham, he also helped bring the degree to DKU as one of the Chinese campus's first programs.
Working to further establish DKU's academics, particularly regarding curriculum and faculty development, will be central to his new role.
"He will help to drive the many processes necessary for building the faculty and student body at DKU and will also be an important strategist as we move forward in establishing new programs at DKU," Provost Sally Kornbluth wrote in an email Monday.
The new name for the position and its accompanying office do not necessarily mean different work for the role, Schoenfeld noted—the position was originally created when DKU was relatively early in the planning stages, and now that the university is open, positions are shifting and being redefined.
"Now that DKU itself is up and running, this just clarifies what the responsibilities are at Duke and at DKU," Schoenfeld said of the new office.
Dobbins will partner with Duke faculty to work on DKU's academics, in addition to serving as a liaison between programs at Duke and DKU.
"Duke and DKU will continue to have a very tightly integrated relationship, and the role that Dr. Dobbins will fill will be one of developing and connecting," Schoenfeld said.
DKU opened its doors in August 2014, after years of planning and delays. The university currently hosts a semester-long undergraduate global education program as well as three master's degrees—in medical physics, global health and management studies.
Moving forward, the university will continue to build both physically and intellectually—wrapping up campus construction and expanding co-curricular and academic programs. Long term, the school is in the process of developing its own undergraduate degree program.
"DKU will be a work in progress for a long time to come, and that's a good thing," Schoenfeld said.
Bynum was out of the office Tuesday and could not be reached for comment. Laura Brinn, executive director of global communications, deferred comment to Schoenfeld.
Bynum briefly left her position for personal reasons in 2013 and was temporarily replaced by Donna Lisker, then associate vice provost for undergraduate education and now dean of Smith College in Massachusetts. She returned to the position February 2014.
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