Even with visitors banned from campus, Duke is still inviting parents to family weekend—virtually.
Family weekend in 2019 saw around 3,000 visitors come to Durham in late October for events including yoga on the quad and a men’s basketball exhibition game against Northwest Missouri State University. This year won’t be quite the same, as families instead hear about COVID-19 research at Duke and get a live (but still virtual) tour of Cameron Indoor Stadium.
This year’s family weekend, which stretches from Oct. 16 to Oct. 18, includes some standard fare—like Duke professors giving classes to let parents be students for a day—along with more unusual events about the ongoing pandemic.
Among the “student for a day” lectures is one with Dean of Students John Blackshear, who has been called the "psychopath whisperer,” who will take families through a forensic psychology case study.
Another lecture will go through the history of “high-profile diseases that wreaked havoc among humans” to try to draw out some lessons on how they shaped governments and society.
Even with the campus closed to visitors and many of the usual family weekend stops only open to students for reserved time slots, tours are still a focus of the family weekend calendar. Along with the Sunday tour of Cameron, Duke is also offering asynchronous trips through the Nasher Museum of Art and Duke Chapel, along with a livestream of the Chapel bells.
Here’s the full schedule of events:
Friday, Oct. 16:
- Student for a Day Lecture—Plagues & Pandemics (10 a.m. to 11 a.m.)
- President Vincent Price’s Welcome Address (11:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.)
- Study Away with Duke’s Global Education Office (12 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.)
- In the Archives: Economics Students Hands-On with Suffrage History (12:30 p.m. to 1:30 pm.)
- Student for a Day Lecture—Duke Mind Hunters: A Case Study on Forensic Psychology (1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.)
- Career Everywhere: Integrating Career Readiness Through the Entire Duke Experience (3 p.m. to 4 p.m.)
- Pratt Family Weekend Seminar: How Engineering Will Lead the Way in Design and Innovation (4 p.m. to 5 p.m.)
- Duke Chapel Carillon Bells Livestream (5 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.)
- COVID-19 Research at Duke (5 p.m. to 6 p.m.)
- Virtual Family Weekend Shabbat with Jewish Life at Duke (5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.)
- Leadership Conversation with the Division of Student Affairs and Office of Undergraduate Education (8 p.m. to 9 p.m.)
- Family Weekend Concert: Duke Jazz, Djembe and Afro-Cuban Ensembles (8 p.m.)
Saturday, Oct. 17:
- Teaching in Trinity: Committed to Excellence in Any Environment (10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.)
- The Academic Advising Center: How Students Can Benefit from Duke's Specialized Academic Advisors (12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.)
- DukeCreate Online Presents Dance Cardio for All Levels (2 p.m. to 3 p.m.)
- DukeEngage: The Inside Story from Students and Staff (3 p.m. to 4 p.m.)
- Duke Football vs. NC State (3:30 p.m.)
- A Moment of Mindfulness with DuWell (4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.)
- A Community Commitment (7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.)
- Family Weekend Concert: Duke Chorale, Symphony Orchestra, Wind Symphony (7:30 p.m.)
On Sunday, Oct. 18:
- Duke Chapel Worship Service (11 a.m. to noon)
- Pre-Health Profession Information Session for Parents and Families of First- and Second-Year Students (1:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.)
- Live Cameron Indoor Stadium Tour (3 p.m. to 4 p.m.)
- Pre-Law Profession Information Session (4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.)
- COVID-19 Risk Mitigation and Student Support (7 p.m. to 8 p.m.)
Asynchronous:
- Duke Recreation & Physical Education Trial Membership with Virtual Classes
- Nasher Museum of Art Virtual Tours
- Duke Chapel Virtual Tour
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.