Board of Trustees Strategic Task Forces Post Executive Summaries of Their Reports

The four strategic task forces of the Duke University Board of Trustees have completed their work and posted executive summaries of their recommendations on priority issues facing the university.

Formed as part of a reorganization of the Board of Trustees governance structure, the task forces brought together trustees, administrators, faculty and students to explore topics in line with President Vincent Price’s strategic framework, known as “Duke Will.” The task forces were intended to complete their work within a defined time period.

The four task forces were:

• Advancing Science and Technology. This task force explored directions for new investments to increase Duke’s reputation and impact across science and technology fields. It made recommendations related to new faculty hiring, fund-raising efforts in science and technology and focusing new initiatives around three pillars: artificial intelligence and health; materials sciences; and unlocking biologic resilience (the ability of a body or organism to recover from damage).
• Global Network. Reimagining Duke’s relationship with its alumni was the focus on the Activating the Global Network Strategic Task Force. It offered suggestions of how to turn a Duke education into a lifelong endeavor, with alumni returning either physically or virtually for learning, mentoring and teaching.
• Residential Experience. The Next Generation Living & Learning Experience Task Force explored how to better connect campus life with the student learning experience. It made recommendations related to organization of residential houses, creating a more diverse and inclusive community, enhancing student-faculty engagement and developing student programs for life skills learning.
• Central Campus. Charged with developing a plan for the 60 acres of Central Campus, this task force recommended reserving that space for future strategic uses. The report said the space was a valuable asset to the university, but there is no current compelling use of it that warrants development. Instead, task force recommended retaining ownership of the land in reserve.

All of the executive summaries are available online here. The Duke community will have an opportunity to ask questions about the recommendations at a public forum to be scheduled for early in the fall 2019 semester.

While the task forces have completed their investigations, several will continue to meet during the 2019-2020 academic year to assist in the implementation of recommendations.