Graduate-Professional Student Appreciation Week (GPSAW) events at Duke are an excellent opportunity for students to come together and engage in activities that promote social connections, foster a sense of belonging, and provide opportunities for personal and professional growth.
We recognize and appreciate the hard work and contributions of our Duke graduate and professional students and encourage students to engage in the events/initiatives designed specifically for you.
Need to submit an event? https://duke.is/GPSAW2025-form
| Date | Time | Event | Description | Host | Website / Registration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Week | Various | Various Games | Multiple games throughout the week. | Duke Athletics | goduke.com |
| Sunday, March 30 | 7:00p – 9:00p | Daniela Liebman in Concert | Daniela Liebman, a twenty-one-year-old prodigy hailing from Mexico, makes her Duke debut in the final concert of this year’s Piano Recital Series. Student tickets – $10 | Duke Arts | Duke Arts |
| Monday, March 31 – Friday, April 4 | 8:00a – 5:00p | OSA Eggs-travaganza | Eggs will hidden throughout the law school March 31-April 4. Find an egg, then bring it to the Office of Student Affairs in Room 3208 at the Law School to claim your prize! This event is limited to law students. | Law School Student Affairs | N/A |
| Monday, March 31 | 11:00a – 12:00p | Hatha Yoga in the Wellness Center | This is a practice of Asana (physical movement), Pranayama (breathing exercises), and Dhyana (meditation). Each class will include mindfulness & breath control techniques, warm up movements to activate the body, a sequence of postures to maintain balance, flexibility and strength, and finally a deep relaxation experience. This is a wonderful holistic practice to engage the body, mind and spirit and strengthen our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. | Student Wellness Center | Duke Groups |
| Monday, March 31 | 11:30a – 3:30p | Coffee Monday for Engineering Master’s Program Students | Kick-start your week with Coffee Monday for Engineering Master’s Programs Students! Join us at the Teer 102 Student Lounge. Enjoy a cup of coffee and connect with fellow students as you gear up for a brand new week. ☕️ | Engineering Graduate Student Programs and Services (GSPS) | |
| Monday, March 31 | 12:00p – 1:00p | Duke Gardens Walk | In collaboration with our admitted students day, Sanford Wellness will guide a meditation walk in Duke Gardens to explore and build community among current and future graduate students. Only open to Sanford students at this time. | Sanford Academic Programs | N/A |
| Tuesday, April 1 | 1:00p – 1:30p | Duke Chapel Bell Tower Climb | Only open to Sanford students at this time. | Sanford Academic Programs | N/A |
| Wednesday, April 2 | 9:00a – 10:15a | Professional Headshots | Stop by the Karsh Alumni Center and receive a professional headshot. No sign up necessary. Photos will be taken near the main lobby, just outside on a covered walkway. | Duke Career Center | N/A |
| Wednesday, April 2 | 9:00a – 10:30a | Grad Appreciation Pancake Breakfast | Only open to Sanford students at this time. | Sanford Academic Programs | N/A |
| Wednesday, April 2 | 9:30a – 12:00p | Community Work Day | Come join us in the fields to lose track of time, be outdoors, practice embodied work, and experience profound community with plants, soil, and humans! | Duke Campus Farm | Google Docs |
| Wednesday, April 2 | 12:00p – 1:00p | PhD to Industry: Building Your Personal Brand | Join us for a dynamic and hands-on workshop to help PhD students create a compelling personal brand that will stand out in any industry. This session will equip you with the tools to identify the branding strategies that align with your unique expertise, values, and goals. | Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship | Pratt Ph.D. Students: Click Here All Other Ph.D. Students & Postdocs: Click Here |
| Wednesday, April 2 | 12:30p – 1:30p | Grad/Prof Appreciation Lunch with Jewish Life at Duke | Students are invited to join Assistant Director of Jewish Life at Duke Rebecca Ezersky for a lunch at the Freeman Center Cafe! Discuss ways to get involved in Jewish life on campus while enjoying a delicious meal! | Jewish Life at Duke | Jewish Life at Duke |
| Wednesday, April 2 | 5:15p – 7:15p | Duke Arts Create: Mindful Watercolor | Relax and engage in the magic of mindful watercolor painting! Participants will learn a variety of different experimental and texture building techniques, then play with the materials and create paintings that don’t require realism. After one mindful warmup painting, folks will be able to experiment and create work that can be meditative in practice, and/or meditative to view! Supplies are provided. | School of Medicine & Duke Arts Create | Duke Arts |
| Thursday, April 3 – Sunday, April 6 | All Day | Full Frame Documentary Film Festival | The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is an annual international event dedicated to the theatrical exhibition of nonfiction cinema. Each spring, Full Frame welcomes filmmakers and film lovers from around the world to historic downtown Durham, North Carolina, for a four-day, morning-to-midnight array of nearly 100 films, as well as discussions, panels, and Southern hospitality. | Center for Documentary Studies | Full Frame Documentary Film Festival |
| Thursday, April 3 – Saturday, April 5 | 9:00a – 6:00p | Vagantes Graduate Conference on Medieval Studies | The 24th Vagantes Conference on Medieval Studies co-hosted by Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will take place at Duke University in Durham, NC from April 3-5, 2025. Vagantes is an interdisciplinary community of junior and early career scholars that offers an ideal opportunity for sharing new research from across the disciplines. | Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies | Vagantes 2025 |
| Thursday, April 3 | 9:00a – 11:00a | Virtual Off Campus Housing Fair | Interested in learning more about housing options once you move to Durham, or looking to move for the next academic year? Hear from current students about housing, transportation, and safety for the first hour; talk directly to apartment complexes and property management companies for the second hour. | Off Campus & Community Life | Duke Groups |
| Thursday, April 3 | 11:00a – 12:00p | Alliance of Therapy Dogs Visit the Sanford Lawn | Only open to Sanford students at this time. | Sanford Academic Programs | N/A |
| Thursday, April 3 | 12:00p – 1:00p | Queer Peer Drop-In | Lunch-time drop-ins from CSGD’s Graduate Assistants to sprinkle some joy with surprise gifts and resources for our hard working and awesome graduate and professional students! | Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity | N/A |
| Thursday, April 3 | 2:30p – 4:30p | The Engineering Master’s Programs Student Advisory Board Weekly Event | As part of a week of events showcasing opportunities across Duke, we invite you to the Engineering Master’s Programs Student Advisory Board (SAB) Weekly Event in Teer 102 Student Lounge. Organized by SAB board member Yurong (Annie) Huang, this event features the ring toss and other fun table games. Come hang out with friends, enjoy the games, and grab a bite to eat—we look forward to seeing you there! | Engineering Graduate Student Programs and Services (GSPS) | Duke Calendar |
| Thursday, April 3 | 3:30p – 5:00p | Duke GRADx Talks 2025 | Graduate students will share their research in a fast-paced and engaging format inspired by TED and TEDx talks. Rather than showcasing finished projects, presenters share a defining question that they are driven to investigate or explore further. A reception will follow the talks for in-person attendees. | The Graduate School | The Graduate School |
| Thursday, April 3 | 5:00p – 5:15p | Carillon Weekday Recital | Each weekday at 5:00 p.m., a Duke Chapel carillonneur plays a fifteen-minute recital on the bells in the Duke Chapel tower. The recital begins with an opening excerpt of music, then a bell tolls five times to mark the hour, and then the carillonneur plays a selection of hymns and other songs appropriate for the day. | Duke Chapel | Duke Chapel |
| Thursday, April 3 | 5:00p – 7:00p | Duke Arts Grad Mixer | Duke Arts invites all graduate, professional, and medical students for a casual night of art-making and music with free drinks and food! Meet other grad students from across campus to bond over art, enjoy music from a live DJ and enter to win free tickets to events from Duke Arts Presents! | Duke Arts | Duke Arts |
| Thursday, April 3 | 6:00p – 7:30p | DuWell Paint Night | Our paint nights are a calming space for you to take time out of your busy week to be creative, destress, and have fun. Paint night is designed for people of all artistic levels: the most important thing is to enjoy yourself. Bring your friends, or come on your own, everyone is welcome! All painting supplies will be provided. | The Graduate School & Society of Duke Fellows | Location: Student Wellness Center |
| Friday, April 4 | 6:30p – 8:30p | Durham Bulls Game | Details: We have premium seats and a 2-hour buffet. Matchup: Durham Bulls vs. Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Houston Astros affiliate) Capacity: 200 participants | GPSG | [Coming soon] |
| Friday, April 4 | 6:30p – 8:30p | Jewtinos Shabbat Services and Dinner with Jewish Life at Duke | Join us at 6:00 pm for a pluralistic Kabbalat Shabbat service, followed by a free, family-style kosher dinner at 7:00pm. This week, Shabbat is hosted by Jewtinos, a student group of Jewish and Latino members! Recognition of graduate students involved. | Jewish Life at Duke | Duke Calendar RSVP by Friday at noon by texting “SHABBAT” to 984-333-5603. |
| Sunday, April 6 | 3:00p – 5:00p | GPSG Topgolf Social | Details: We have a reserved bay for Topgolf gameplay (NPT – 2 hours) and a buffet provided. Capacity: 100 participants | Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG) & Duke Canine Cognition Center | [Coming soon] |
