Project Arts (pArts) introduces students to the art communities at Duke and in Durham, while creating an inclusive social support network through a common passion and excitement for the arts. This experience will immerse students into one of the following creative arts: dance, music, theater, visual arts, visual media, and creative writing. Throughout the week, students will work collaboratively and expand their artistic knowledge and skills through daily workshops that will end with a final showcase celebration. Students will connect with the Downtown Durham art scene through gallery visits, visit the Eno river, and be welcomed into small families of fellow first-years and upperclassmen within the program.

Project Band aims to prepare participants for a successful performance season with the Duke Marching Band and for collegiate and life success as they integrate into a diverse, vibrant, and supportive community. Throughout orientation week and beyond, our leaders and members will provide crucial and practical resources to all participants. We will work together to gel into an exciting performing organization as participants bond with their peers and explore Duke and Durham. if you are interested or have questions, please email marchingband@duke.edu. Marching band experience is not required. 

Project BUILD (Building Undergraduate Involvement in the Life of Durham) is an introduction to life at Duke and in Durham through participating in community service and decades-long BUILD traditions. BUILD creates a family through small group “crews” of upperclassmen and first-year students, late-night bonding, and outings in and around Durham. BUILD partners with service sites such as the Duke Lemur Center, TROSA, and Durham Central Park multiple times throughout the week. 

Co-sponsored with Sanford School of Public Policy, this initiative will give students the skills to be informed, active, and compassionate citizens within the Duke, local, national, and global communities. With a special focus on discourse, finding common ground, and gaining exposure to different systems of change, this project will help students answer the question, “What does it mean to be a model citizen?” Attending programming in Durham, Raleigh, and the Duke in DC Office, students will learn from and meet important policy practitioners in our local community and our national capital, Washington D.C. We are excited to engage students in activities and conversations with students, alumni, and community members that foster relationship building and life-long friendships. 

*This project will spend one (1) night off campus. 

Want to get to know your new home? Want to explore and experience some of the most fun things around Duke and Durham? What about sampling Durham’s incredible food scene and scaling Duke’s iconic chapel? Or snuggling baby goats and hanging out at the lake with your new friends? Then this experience is for you! You will go on daily excursions around Duke and the Durham area as you discover and enjoy the best kept secrets, activities, and adventures of our campus & within Durham. 

Project Earth will connect first-year students to each other, to Duke, and to Durham by helping them develop a deeper connection with the Earth while exploring local environments. Students will engage with the beauty of nature firsthand, get their hands dirty with solutions-based sustainability, and learn about local climate justice efforts. Together, they will spend time at Falls Lake, explore Duke’s environmental opportunities and organizations, channel their creativity with upcycled crafts, tour hidden gems in Durham, pick up local goods at the Durham Farmer’s Market, and more! Students will be invited to collaborate and build meaningful connections with each other and the environment that will prepare them for their curricular and cocurricular careers at Duke and beyond.  

Project Edge (pEdge) is a fun and passionate community that welcomes students of all interests and backgrounds. Look at problems through new eyes, explore the many entrepreneurial resources on campus and in Durham, and meet a diverse array of people led by upper-class mentors and staff from Duke Innovation and Entrepreneurship who will serve as resources during your Duke career. Throughout the week, you will meet entrepreneurs, experiment with innovative thinking, brainstorm new ideas, pitch to like-minded fellows, and more. Come join our community of creative thinkers and driven problem solvers. 

Project Farm to Table builds community through a tool that brings people together like no other: food! This project will encourage students to ask where their food comes from, which parts of the food system they interact with, and how they can be in better relation to the world around them. Through activities at the Duke Campus Farm, learning about Duke Dining, and exploring Durham and its food scene, students will develop a stronger sense of their role in the ways we cultivate, access, value, and think about food. Topics range widely and include beginner cooking skills, local catering and dining, and spending time outside. This project will mainly take place in downtown Durham, and around Duke campus. Above all, Project Farm to Table will help students feel a sense of ease as they transition into Duke by helping first-year students cultivate community.  

Project Global is a community-centered exploration of self, Duke, and Durham within a global framework. International and domestic students alike are invited to explore how their personal and academic experiences at Duke and beyond will intersect with global issues and themes. Students will explore food, art, activism, academia, and more through immersive programming and conversations to develop a broader global-local identity and community at Duke and in Durham. Project Global is excited to build a deeper understanding of our participants’ cultures and their lived experiences to continue celebrating and engaging with the complexities of our interconnected world! 

Project Habitat is a program designed to introduce students to Duke and the Durham community through service and exploration. Participants will partner with Habitat for Humanity to build a home, engage in conversation with community members and leaders, and explore the food and fun of Durham and its surrounding areas. This program is designed to foster meaningful and lasting relationships between incoming students, Duke, and the Durham community. And while meaningful matters, so does laughter, so we don’t take ourselves too seriously along the way. 

Project Herd welcomes anyone from moderate animal-likers to full animal-lovers. Join the Herd and build community through excursions downtown, relaxing at the Eno River, and animal-related activities including visits to the Duke Lemur Center and Carolina Tiger Rescue. Connect with nature and have fun exploring Duke’s campus and Durham while befriending some baby goats along the way! 

Our identities influence how we experience the world, yet we rarely take the time to explore our lived experiences meaningfully with ourselves and other people. This project will help you explore your identities and those of others through history, storytelling, arts, and food. The conversations here will help unite a community that advocates for change through empathy, strength, joy, and dialogue in Duke, Durham, and beyond. 

Project Lead is not your typical orientation program—it’s an unforgettable, hands-on experience where you’ll dive into what leadership really means at Duke (spoiler: it’s way more than titles and résumés). In partnership with the Office of Student Involvement & Leadership, the goal is to inspire students to create positive change through examining personal strengths and exploring how individual qualities interact within diverse communities. By the end of Orientation Week, you won’t just know your way around campus—you’ll feel like a true Blue Devil, ready to get involved, make an impact, and lead in your own authentic way. 

Project Media is a community that encourages students to tell their own story through the art forms of documentary, photography, and broadcasting. We’ll learn about different forms of media, see the media arts that Duke and Durham offer, and get hands-on practice in professional workshops! Then, students will work together to reimagine and tell their own stories. Come with us as we learn about the diverse ways you can tell a story, as you create a capstone project of your own O-week experience with friends that will last you a lifetime! 

Join the team in Duke Rec and PE & Athletics as you explore your wellness, teamwork, and a bit of the athletic culture at Duke. Project Play hopes to create a community in which you’ll find your fit in Duke Rec’s resources and programming. Through group activities, field trips, competitions, facility tours, and more, this immersive track will give you the opportunity to move, use your brain, create lasting relationships, and build healthy habits for your time at Duke.  

Project Preseason introduces Fall and Winter sport student-athletes early to campus. Being a student-athlete at Duke means life quickly takes off with the drive and excitement of a title season in front of you. Next thing you know, it is your second semester, and you haven't taken a step off the line from your sport to explore what Duke is and can be beyond the Athletic Department. This July, we'll learn about Duke, engage with Durham, and begin to absorb Duke's broad academic and dynamic social culture in a way you may have not thought was possible. Please note: Project Preseason is only for varsity athletes and occurs during July. 

The purpose of Project Research is to open eyes to not only the diversity of research topics that exist at Duke but also the multifaceted ways in which research itself is conducted. Throughout O-Week, we plan to explore the intersections of research happening both on campus and in North Carolina’s broader Research Triangle. Our week is built around introducing students to research and guiding students through the process of answering big questions. This includes activities like traveling to downtown Durham, visiting Duke Libraries’ archives, touring Duke’s medical campus, hearing from research faculty in the sciences and humanities, and more! We hope to show that research can be a medium through which one broadens their passions and embarks on new avenues of discovery. Curiosity and open-mindedness; those are the principles of research that our project strives to pass on to its members. 

Project S.E.E.D. (Science and Engineering Exploration at Duke) is designed to introduce and welcome students to STEM at Duke and beyond. Participants will be immersed in the vibrant community of scholars and professionals involved in the field.  We will engage in hands-on creative activities while we explore a variety of STEM fields. Through formal and informal gatherings with this community, students will also receive guidance on connecting with faculty, exploring gateway classes and majors, and finding research opportunities to help them make the most of their time at Duke. The ultimate goal of Project S.E.E.D. is to ensure that our students know they belong in STEM and to have fun with a community of peers. All you need is an interest in STEM, and we will do the rest!  

Taking place at both the Duke Marine Lab in Beaufort, NC and Falls Lake, Project Waves is a welcoming, high-energy environment where first-years will find a community they can depend on for their Duke career. While exploring a world-class marine research facility on the beautiful NC coast, as well as camping out at the lake, Waves participants engage in various water activities, including swimming and kayaking. Students should have basic recreational swimming abilities (adequate to swim a short time and distance). In a phone-free and outdoor environment, Project Waves emphasizes community building and the opportunity for self-discovery. 

*This project will spend five (5) nights off campus. Participants will not stay in their residence hall during Orientation Week.  

^ This project is phone free: participants will not have access to cell phones. Orientation Leaders and/or professional staff have access to phones in case of an emergency!  

Join us for an exciting orientation week program centered on your wellness! By the end of the week, you’ll gain a new perception of wellness and leave with skills to take care of your wellbeing beyond orientation week. We have a variety of activities planned that will allow you to understand and experience the different aspects of wellness that you need to be successful at Duke. From exploring the Duke Gardens to enjoying paint sessions at the Wellness Center, visiting state parks, downtown Durham, local arcades, and more, this project is dedicated to helping you prioritize your mental and physical health. We hope you leave this program with a renewed sense of energy, ready to tackle your time at Duke. 

PWILD’s mission is to welcome new students and create a community through a shared love for the outdoors. By participating in WILD, students will have the opportunity to day hike, swim, climb, and camp under the stars in the Pisgah National Forest of North Carolina for five nights. Those looking for a bigger challenge can choose to take a multi-day backpacking trip in the area surrounding basecamp. Students will be introduced to the Duke community and resources through upper-class mentors. Come learn about yourself and others by unplugging from technology, sleeping under tarps, making your own food, sharing stories, creating new memories, and reveling in nature with the PWILD community. 

* This project will spend five (5) nights off campus. Participants will not stay in their residence hall during Orientation Week.  

^ This project is phone free: participants will not have access to cell phones. Orientation Leaders and/or professional staff have access to phones in case of an emergency!