Family Communications

Duke Family Webinar Series

The Office of New Student and Family Programs produces a monthly webinar series to connect families to campus. Past webinars and their recordings can be found below. Please allow 48 hours after the webinar airs for the recordings to be posted. 

• The Undergraduate Academic Experience (April 17, 2023)
  • Join the Deans of Pratt School of Engineering and Trinity College of Arts & Sciences as they discuss the undergraduate academic experience, including the value of a liberal arts education, the strengths of their two colleges, and partnering with families for students’ academic success. Gary Bennett stepped into his role in Trinity in February of this year, and Jerome Lynch came to Duke in January 2022 to begin as the Dean in Pratt.
• A Conversation with Coach Elko (March 29, 2023)
  • Families were invited to a conversation with head football coach Mike Elko about leadership, being part of the Duke community, and what is on the horizon for Duke football. Vice Provost/Vice President of Student Affairs Mary Pat McMahon will moderate this discussion.
• Gender Violence Prevention & Intervention (February 27, 2023)
  • Learn more about Gender Violence Prevention & Intervention initiatives on campus. Hear from new leadership about recent shifts in the organization of services and student support.
• Health & Wellness (January 30, 2023)
  • Learn about Duke's holistic wellness model and support systems designed for our students. This video will introduce families to the model of care; administrative leadership from DuWell, Duke Reach, CAPS, and Student Health; and how services are evolving to support students' well-being.
• Student Engagement & Belonging (April 21, 2022)
  • This session highlights the Division of Student Affairs's move from campus life to student engagement and how the division hopes to build a sense of belonging for all students. Listen to students and staff talk about their partnership to create a more engaged student body and how they have chosen to be involved. (Duke's Department of Student Engagement, formerly called Campus Life, encompasses Duke's identity and cultural centers, student leadership, student activities, Duke University Union, Duke Student Government, and all student organizations.)
• Career Everywhere (for Everyone): Integrating Career Readiness Through the Entire Duke Experience (March 31, 2022)
  • This session connects families with some of the staff at the Duke Career Center who share about their career everywhere philosophy, Duke's career development process; the competencies that students will build during their time at Duke; resources and tools that your Blue Devil can access; and how you can partner with the Career Center to help develop your student's career readiness.
• Fireside Chat: Proactive Support for College Student Wellbeing (February 23, 2022)
  • Join a conversation with leaders across the Division of Student Affairs as they discuss college student wellbeing today. The discussion covers topics ranging from common student experiences, managing emotional wellbeing and stress, how proactive support and wellness can help students perform optimally, and how families can partner to support their students.
• Cultivating Academic Success (January 24, 2022)
  • Learn about resources the Office of Undergraduate Education’s Division of Student Success provides—including those for academic coaching, Duke well-being, and advising—and how we support students in making the most of their Duke experience.
• Quad Ex (November 16, 2021)
  • Vice Provosts Mary Pat McMahon and Gary Bennett discuss with families Duke’s new neighborhood-based residential model, QuadEx. QuadEx will enhance social and intellectual connection and foster bonds that will last a lifetime. The model is designed to deliver on Duke’s promise of a transformative undergraduate education by extending the best of Duke’s living and learning experiences to all of our students. QuadEx will establish an enduring community structure and foundation through which students will have greater opportunity to connect to one another and to the many resources Duke has to offer throughout their four years.

The monthly Duke Parent and Family Newsletter features important upcoming deadlines, as well as fun and interesting news and notes from across the campus. Families will receive these communications if their name and email are listed in their student's DukeHub account. Our contacts are pulled from the "Profile" section under "Relationships/Proxy." Your student will also need to make sure they have checked "yes" next to "Send University Correspondence" when adding your information. For questions, please reach out to familyprograms@duke.edu. 

2022-2023 All Undergraduate Family Newsletters

September | October | November | January | February | March | April

2022 First-Year Family Newsletter (Summer Edition) 

May | June

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2021-2022 All Undergraduate Family Newsletters

September | October | November | January | February | March | April 

2021 First-Year Family Newsletter (Summer Edition) 

May | June | July | August

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2020-2021 All Undergraduate Family Newsletters

September | October | November | January | February | March | April

2020 First-Year Family Newsletter (Summer Edition) 

Summer 1 | Summer 2  | Summer 3

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2019-2020 All Undergraduate Family Newsletters
September | October | November | December | January | February | March | April

2019 First-Year Family Newsletter (Summer Edition) 

May | June | July | August

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2018-2019 All Undergraduate Family Newsletters
September | October | November | December | January | February | March | April | Final All-Parent Newsletter (June)

2018-2019 Special Edition Newsletters
April | May | 2nd May Newsletter (Commencement - Senior Family Newsletters)

2018 First-Year Family Newsletter (Summer Edition) 
May | June | July | August 

The official Facebook pages for Duke families

We invite you to visit your student's class year family page regularly and interact with other families. Through these pages we hope to keep you up to date on all the many exciting news and developments across the Duke universe.

To request membership, click on the respective link for your student's graduation year:

• Class of 2023 Parents & Families
• Class of 2024 Parents & Families
• Class of 2025 Parents & Families
• Class of 2026 Parents & Families

Please note, members must be parents, guardians, or primary takers of a Duke student to be admitted. Those requesting membership must respond to a series of questions before being admitted. 

The Parent and Family Podcast provides a new medium for families to learn about Duke from student leaders on campus. These students provide insight into their Duke experience as well as tips on how to support your Duke student through their journey. Follow our podcast on SoundCloud here.

November 2020 Podcast Topic: Peer for You
Student: Olivia Liu

Time: 9 minutes

Olivia Liu T’21 discusses her involvement with Peer for You, a student-led organization dedicated to actively supporting student well-being in the Duke community. Olivia shares what services Peer for You offers, how to reach out to Peer for You, how the organization has adapted to supporting students with the challenges of the pandemic, and more. 

October 2020 Podcast Topic: International Student Experience
Student: Ananya Vohra

Time: 10 minutes

Ananya Vohra T'21 reflects on her experience as an international student throughout her four years at Duke. Ananya highlights ways in which the Duke community has supported her as an international student during the pandemic, and she offers advice to the families of these students. 

September 2020 Podcast Topic: The Duke Community during a COVID Semester 
Student: Avery Lythcott-Haims

Time: 16 minutes

Avery Lythcott-Haims T’23 talks about her experience coming back to campus this semester. Reflecting on this time of transition, Avery emphasizes the role of the Duke community from her clubs and involvements to connecting with those she passes on her way to class.

April 2020 Podcast Topic: Post-Graduation Planning
Student: Evi Alexopoulos

Time: 11 minutes

Evi Alexopoulos T'20 shares how her Duke experience has prepared her for post-graduation success. As a biology and global health double major, Evi's experience in labs, internships, and research have certainly influenced her career path. She also talks about finding mentors, creating meaningful friendships, and exploring all of Duke's career and academic resources as crucial to her readiness for life after Duke.

February 2020 Podcast Topic: Building Community
Student: Ivan Robles

Time: 16 minutes

Ivan Robles ’20 shares his experiences of finding and creating community at Duke. From his work study role at the Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity (CSGD) to his leadership in launching the Latinx in Leadership series, Ivan speaks about what community means to him and how he views the intersectionality of identity with community.

January 2020 Podcast Topic: Academic Journey
Student: Angeli Sharma

Time: 11 minutes

Senior Angeli Sharma shares her academic journey at Duke. Angeli's story includes how she chose a major in public policy and minors in neuroscience and economics, how this combination is helping her prepare for her post-graduation dreams, and Angeli's favorite classes at Duke!

November 2019 Podcast Topic: Duke@Nite
Student Leaders: Christina Zhang & Kacia Anderson

Time: 14 minutes

Christina Zhang & Kacia Anderson, leaders from Duke University Union (DUU) Duke@Nite sat down with Parent and Family Programs to talk about campus programming and activities at Duke, from glow-in-the-dark roller rinks to Harry Potter trivia nights.

April 2019 Podcast Topic: First-Year at Duke
First-Year Student: Tatum Riley

Time: 6 minutes

In this podcast, Tatum Riley reflects on her first year as a student at Duke. From move-in day to the challenges she faced, Tatum discusses the trials and triumphs of a first-year student at Duke.

 

March 2019 Podcast Topic: A-Team and Duke Traditions
Student A-Team Member: Sanya Kochhar

Time: 8 minutes

Sanya Kochhar discusses her work with A-Team, Duke’s risk management group for large campus events. She reflects on the excitement of Duke traditions, like Duke-UNC basketball games, and supporting these traditions through promoting student safety. 

February 2019 Podcast Topic: Duke & Durham
Vice President of Durham and Regional Affairs, Duke Student Government: Uwa Ihionkhan

Time: 12 minutes

Uwa Ihionkhan, Vice President of Durham and Regional Affairs in Duke Student Government, sat down with Parent and Family Programs to discuss building relationships and fostering conversations within and outside of the community here at Duke. 

December 2018 Podcast Topic: Student Wellness
President of the National Alliance on Mental Illness at Duke: Gary Wang

Time: 14 Minutes

In this podcast, Gary Wang, president of NAMI at Duke, talks about mental health on campus. Gary explains some of his student organization's work: promoting small acts of kindness and connection among students, creating open and inclusive dialogues about mental health on campus, and collaborating with staff to give students the best mental health services at Duke. He ends with advice for parents who want to have dialogues with their students about mental health and mental wellness.  

November 2018 Podcast Topic: Faith & Spirituality on Duke's Campus
Voices for Interfaith Action Members: Usamah Chaudhary T'20 and Sarah Jacobs T'21

Time: 12 Minutes

This podcast includes an interview with Usamah Chaudhary and Sarah Jacobs, members of Duke Voices for Interfaith Action (VIA), a student organization. They share their experiences of being part of different faith communities on Duke's campus, their service and community-building work through VIA, and their views on the key tools for interfaith dialogue.

April 2018 Podcast Topic: Recreation and Physical Education
Student Involvement: Collin Leonard and Melanie Park 

Time: 23 Minutes 

Collin Leonard and Melanie Park share how their Duke experience has been shaped by their involvements in Duke Recreation and Physical Education. They provide insight on how they have created their wellness routines on campus and what wellness means to them. They also share tips on how parents and families can encourage their student's to take ownership of their health and wellness as well as the role parents and families can play in a student's well-being. 

February 2018 Podcast Topic: National Merit Scholarships
Marshall Scholar: John Lu

Time: 20 Minutes

In this Podcast, John Lu, a Marshall Scholar and Goldwater Scholar provides insight into his four years at Duke. John explains what a Marshall Scholarship is and how the application process helped him reflect and make meaning of his undergraduate experience. He also provides tips for families on how to support a student going through the application process.

January 2018 Podcast Topic: The K-Ville Tenting Experience
Head Line Monitors: Sara Constand T’18 and David Duquette T‘18

Time: 20 Minutes

This podcast includes an interview with Sara Constand and David Duquette, the 2018 K-Ville Head Line Monitors. In this podcast, they share information about K-Ville, what the tenting experience is like and what this tradition means for Duke students. We also de-bunk some of the myths around tenting.

September 2017 Podcast Topic: Duke Academic Advising Center
Student Peer Advisor: Cole Wicker T’18

Time: 20 Minutes

In this podcast, a Trinity College Senior, Cole Wicker shares his experiences with the Academic Advising Network at Duke. Previously, Cole utilized the Academic Advising Network, and now serves as a lead Peer Advisor. He provides advice and insight into the challenges of finding your path and how he feels parents can best support their Duke students through this process over their four years at Duke.