Academic Council voted to approve the nomination of candidates for earned degrees and a proposal from the School of Medicine to revise non-regular rank faculty titles during its final meeting of the 2023-2024 academic year.
Approval of earned degrees
Representatives from Duke’s various schools and Duke Kunshan University presented the 2024 degree candidates for approval of the council. The degree candidates will be approved by the Provost’s Office and the Board of Trustees ahead of Sunday’s commencement ceremony. DKU will host its commencement ceremony May 17.
In the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, 1240 students have completed their degree requirements. 492 students earned a Bachelor of Arts and 748 earned a Bachelor of Science.
In the Pratt School of Engineering, 487 students have completed their degree requirements. 261 students earned a Bachelors of Science in Engineering, 133 earned a Master of Engineering, 69 earned a Master of Engineering Management and 24 students earned 26 earned a DKU Masters of Engineering.
In the Nicholas School of the Environment, 147 students have completed their degree requirements. 144 students earned a Master of Environmental Management and five earned a Master of Forestry.
In the Fuqua School of Business, 1310 students have completed their degree requirements. 625 earned a Master of Business Administration, 363 earned a Master of Science in Quantitative Management and 322 earned a Master of Management Studies.
In the Divinity School, 116 students have completed their degree requirements. One earned a Master of Arts in Christian Practice, 14 earned a Master in Theological Studies, 77 earned a Master of Divinity, 6 earned a Master of Theology, 16 earned a Doctor of Ministry and two earned a Doctor of Theology.
In the School of Law, 356 students have completed their degree requirements. 274 earned a Juris Doctor, 81 earned a Master of Law, 20 earned a Master of Law of International Comparative Studies, nine earned a Master of Law and Entrepreneurship and one earned a Doctor of Juridical Science.
In the School of Medicine, 364 students have completed their degree requirements.
In the School of Nursing, 188 students have completed their degree requirements. 65 earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, 88 earned a Master of Science in Nursing and 35 earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice.
In the Sanford School of Public Policy, 22 earned a Master of International Development Policy, 86 earned a Master of Public Policy, 19 earned a Master of National Security Policy and 22 earned a DKU International Master of Environmental Policy.
In the Graduate School, 704 students have completed their degree requirements.
At DKU, 250 students have completed their degree requirements. 100 earned a Bachelor of Arts and 140 earned a Bachelor of Science.
“[These] numbers … reflect tremendous individual and collective achievements,” Trina Jones, chair of the Academic Council and Jerome M. Culp distinguished professor of law, said. “Our students’ success is a measure of our success.”
Revisions to faculty titles in the School of Medicine
The council heard a proposal for revisions of affiliate non-regular rank faculty titles in the School of Medicine from Mara Becker, professor of pediatrics and vice dean for faculty at Duke University School of Medicine, and James Tcheng, professor of medicine and associate dean for appointments, promotion and tenure. Review of the proposal has been ongoing for the past two years.
According to Tcheng, these revisions are meant to address inconsistent application of faculty titles, as the relationship between each faculty member and the University’s health system has been unclear in the past.
The revisions aim to address three key objectives. According to Tcheng, these include having “consistent requirements and expectations aligned with the non-regular rank title,” “articulating the specific organizational expectations of [the School of Medicine’s] faculty — the effort that is required on a recurrent basis to confirm academic involvement,” and ensuring that the School of Medicine is “respecting a Duke University academic title that is really not considered to be an honorific.”
The framework is organized into four proposed classes. The adjunct class consists of clinicians who have a non-clinical appointment but want to maintain a relationship with the School of Medicine due to academic effort, as well as those who are externally employed. The clinical class includes those who are delivering clinical care in Duke’s facilities, while the community class includes those who provide clinical care in the community. The provisional class is composed of graduate fellows who are receiving advanced training and have limited faculty responsibilities.
Tcheng noted that the proposal serves to “specify the process for identifying what rank an individual is eligible for and … to specify that [one needs to do] work on behalf of the School of Medicine and Duke University in order to qualify for an adjunct appointment.”
Tcheng added that those who used to work at Duke would no longer maintain a faculty appointment as an honor.
The council unanimously voted to approve the proposal. It will be presented to the Board of Trustees for a final vote.
In other business
The council unanimously voted to approve the proposal for a Master of Nursing program to replace the accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing. The proposal will go to the Board of Trustees for a final vote.
In a consent item, the council voted unanimously to approve the annual reports from the academic programs committee, the university priorities committee and the athletic council committee.
The council also voted to transfer the power of the Academic Council to the Executive Committee of the Academic Council during the summer, since the University is not in regular session. The council voted unanimously to approve the motion.
Editor’s note: The breakdown of degree recipients from the Graduate School and the School of Medicine will be updated as the information becomes available.
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Abby Spiller is a Trinity sophomore and editor-in-chief of The Chronicle's 120th volume.