Duke University Receives Major Gift to Boost Faculty Diversity and Combat Racism
Duke University received a $16 million grant from the Duke Endowment, a private foundation based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The grant allocates $10.5 million toward recruiting and retaining diverse faculty and $5.5 million to support programming to increase the university community’s understanding of historical and current racism, to combat racism, and to create a more inclusive environment.
Through a model developed by Duke’s Office of Faculty Advancement, the university will provide funds to schools seeking to recruit underrepresented faculty. In addition, the office will enable training programs and resources for search committees to ensure that their searches are rigorous and inclusive.
A second component will be the recruitment of diverse faculty in specific scholarly areas. Managed by an interdisciplinary committee appointed by the provost, this approach will connect faculty across schools, promoting community and intellectual synergies.
“Increasing faculty diversity is a critical component of our efforts to advance racial equity at Duke, and this grant will help us recruit and support the faculty leaders of tomorrow,” said Vincent E. Price, president of Duke University.
