Empowering Students for a Lifetime of Impact

The Belonging Initiative supports educational initiatives, emergency funds, and community celebrations to advance Duke’s commitment to inclusion.

The Leadership Initiative supports accessible, comprehensive leadership trainings, programs, and services for undergraduate and graduate/professional students.

The Student Involvement Initiatives supports university-wide traditions, activities, and student organization events that promote deeper belonging and inclusion for all students.

Israel Programming Fund: Support for Israel programs benefits events; student travel for conferences; Israel student groups; and programs related to our full-time Jewish Agency Israel Fellow. $1.5M will establish a named endowment the Israel Fellow position; $2M will also establish a named endowment for the Israel Program Fund and the Israel Fellow position.

Shabbat Dinner Funding: In order to continue to provide this essential service to students and avoid making program changes that would jeopardize the home-away-from-home community, supporting Shabbat meals and sustain Shabbat dinner experiences is essential. 

Endowing the Campus Rabbi Position: Duke’s full-time campus rabbi is the spiritual leader of the campus Jewish community and its chief Jewish educator.

Gifts to the Center for Muslim Life support programs and services such as:

Jumu’ah Support: The Friday prayer service (Jumu’ah) is a cornerstone of many Muslim communities. Support includes coordinating speakers, training students to give sermons, providing food and fellowship opportunities, and reserving centralized space.

Ramadan Programming: Students need extra support and accommodations to maintain their rigorous academic schedule while balancing the long days that are spiritually rich and physically grueling. Support includes providing morning & evening meals, nightly prayers, and guest speakers four days per week.

Student Internship Program: Student interns will serve 5-10 hours a week in identity centers while learning and developing essential skills such as training and facilitation, event management, communication, and social change.

Gifts to the Mary Lou Williams Center support programs and services such as:

On the Way Experiential Learning Program: A 3-day early-college retreat for incoming first-year students that employs the construct of Community Cultural Wealth to engage students in an asset-based approach to racial socialization and resilience in college.

Black History Month Keynote & Lecture Series: The Black History Month Keynote & Lecture series invites dynamic speakers to engage the Duke and Durham communities in a keynote lecture and programs.

Student Internship Program: Student interns will serve 5-10 hours a week in identity centers while learning and developing essential skills such as training and facilitation, event management, communication, and social change.

Gifts to the Center for Sexual & Gender Diversity support programs and services such as:

Peer Mentoring Program: First-year students will be paired with upper class students who share identities with them to build a community of support. Students would attend small group dinners and training and educational programming focused on community and relationship building.

Collaborative Program Funding: Supporting collaborative programs with faculty and campus partners to broaden impact. Examples include a research program related to mental health in collaboration with the Sexual and Gender Minority Health Program; or a programmatic initiative addressing intimate partner violence in LGBTQIA+ communities in collaboration with the Wellness Center and the Women’s Center.

Transgender Transition Related Care Fund: A restricted fund through which transgender, genderqueer, non-binary students may apply to receive funding for transition-related expenses.

Gifts to the Women's Center support programs and services such as:

Women of Color Leadership Program: A 20-member cohort-based program that connects students with women of color who are alumni, civic leaders, or in an industry of interest. These women serve as mentors and help students build a
network to continue to learn how to navigate workplaces and honor their identities.

Reproductive Justice Conference: A day-long conference for Triangle area universities hosted by the Women's Center on reproductive health, rights, and access to reproductive services.

Alternative Spring Break Program: An immersive and breakthrough experience for students, through trips to locations like the Navajo Nation, where students hear from experts on the ground about gender violence, and San Diego where students get an in depth look at human trafficking.

Gifts to the Center for Multicultural Affairs support programs and services such as:

Change Agent Cohort Program: Supports a cohort of 10-15 students through a year as they learn how to build sustainable social change movements in their communities beyond graduation from Duke.

Triangle-Wide Multicultural Student Leadership Program:
Builds a community of young adults who have experience working with individuals across identities and institutions as civic, organization, and community leaders. Partnering with other local universities such as UNC, NCCU, and NC State this academy will connect students to local leaders across industries.

Difficult Dialogue Train the Trainer: This program builds skills to navigate power and discomfort to build skills for sustainable connection. Our focus is on a train the trainer model to bring about a scalable and sustainable change.

Gifts to the Duke International Student Center support programs and services such as:

Legal Fees Hardship Support: Monetary support for students applying for legal fee assistance to support their ability to legally live and thrive in the United States immediately after their graduation. 

Living Learning Community: 60-80 students live together within a Quad to exchange cultures and learn more about being a global citizen.

Explore NC/Explore the US: Supports small group trips of about 8-12 international students to local and national destinations for them to learn more about the US during school breaks when they are unable to return home.

Virtual Orientation Platform: Provide a new interactive platform to help deliver an engaging virtual summer orientation (in multiple languages) for incoming international students.

Career Everywhere for Everyone is the belief and understanding that students are not only seeking advice about their career aspirations (and questions) from the staff at the Career Center, but also from faculty, staff, Duke alumni, our employer partners and more. Career Everywhere helps to ensure that everyone a student may interact with regarding career readiness is equipped with the tools and referral resources needed to create consistent messaging for all Duke students! The Career Center is the hub of this ecosystem, playing the role of consultant, creator, curator and collaborator. It is our role to create and curate career content; identify and amplify career resources; consult and collaborate with campus colleagues; and set the vision for a campus committed to career readiness and success.

The Wellness Center, located in the heart of West Campus, was thoughtfully designed to deliver a broad approach to wellness in an integrated manner that supports our students holistically.

From the first moment you walk through the doors you are welcomed by natural light and greeted with a state-of-the-art space that reflects our approach to help your student flourish.

Through our educational efforts about self-care, by addressing health needs, and by providing students the opportunity to be an active participant in their wellness, we put wellness at the center of performance and success. 

Through multiple departments serving all students, Duke Student Affairs is committed to providing a continuum of care through CAPS, DukeReach, DuWell, Student Health, Gender Violence Education and Outreach, and more.

Duke’s Experiential Orientation (ExO) model is rooted in the principles of belonging, inclusion, and community. ExO enables all incoming students to participate in an immersive project tailored to their interests, fostering connections with peers, mentors, and faculty or staff while building community from their first days on campus. 

This inclusive orientation model evolved from Duke’s pre-orientation programs, which historically benefitted only a limited number of students. In 2022, ExO was launched to offer every student a dynamic and engaging introduction to Duke, helping each student affirm, “I belong at Duke.” 

ExO features more than 20 weeklong projects led by students, combining immersive educational experiences, community-building activities, and excursions beyond campus. Each project places students in small groups with an upper-class mentor who guides them through activities, discussions, and a curriculum designed to introduce them to Duke’s opportunities and resources. 

The student experience at Duke is about much more than academics—it’s about fostering a supportive, enriching environment where students can thrive in all aspects of their lives. While gaining admission to Duke is a significant achievement, ensuring that every student has the resources they need to succeed, grow, and lead is equally essential. From wellness programs and mental health services to leadership development, career advising, and vibrant student organizations, Duke is committed to supporting students holistically throughout their journey.

Your gift helps provide the resources that empower students to explore their passions, build meaningful connections, and navigate challenges with resilience. By investing in the student experience, you help create a community where all students can develop into compassionate leaders, ready to make a positive impact on the world. Join us in shaping lives, strengthening our community, and building a brighter future for Duke students.