A Century of Excellence

In 1924, James B. Duke established The Duke Endowment and set forth a vision for an institution of higher education that became Duke University. In the century that has followed, Duke University has grown to not only fulfill, but perhaps exceed, Mr. Duke’s vision of ​“maintaining a place of real leadership in the educational world.”

Today, Duke University students, alumni, faculty, and staff change the world as leaders in the arts and humanities, law, faith, medicine and health, business, community building, engineering and the environment.

“The Duke we are now is not the Duke we were one hundred years ago. In order for us to make that change, it’s a matter of people who have been in shoes to make that change, and have said I’m going to do these things now that I have the opportunity to do so,” says Isaiah Hamilton, Class of 2024 from Elizabeth City, NC and President of Duke Student Government.

Over the decades, Endowment supports of Duke University have evolved to include construction of buildings and other key capital projects, provisions for faculty positions, student scholarships and financial supports, investments in key research initiatives, efforts to expand diversity, inclusion and equity, and programs to strengthen student resilience and well-being.

Graduate programs at Duke University are world-renowned. The Duke School of Medicine, School of Law, and Duke Divinity School each equip students and researchers as leaders in their fields, and serve as wellspring sources for innovative ideas, academic inquiry, and application of knowledge into real-world impacts through practical implementations.

Commenting on the historic and enduring relationship between The Duke Endowment and Duke University as both institutions mark a centennial in 2024, President Vincent E. Price says, ​“When you look at the trajectory of The Duke Endowment and its commitments to health care, children and families, rural church, and higher education, and the way it partners with Duke University, it is truly remarkable.”

An historic $100 million gift from The Duke Endowment to Duke University celebrating these centennials offers supports transformational opportunities, including: expanded access to a Duke education; strengthened supports for Duke students, especially those from the Carolinas, and Duke graduate students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other minority-serving institutions; deepening of the University’s connections to and partnerships with the Durham community; expanding capacities for 21^st century teaching and learning in a re-imagined building honoring Duke leader Wilhelmina Reuben-Cooke. The Centennial gift is the largest single award in Duke University’s history.

“If he were here today, I would say…look what you did. To be in a place where you imagined what you didn’t even know to imagine at the time. To see what it has become, to see what the idea that he had has inspired people to do. Look at where we are. Look at what we get to do. What’s next,” says John V. Brown, Vice Provost for the Arts.

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