8.1: Duke and Durham

Continue to build the programs in the Neighborhood Partnership, with particular emphasis on K-12 education and youth development, neighborhood stabilization, support for our non-profit partners, and engagement of Duke students in the life of Durham.

Other Information:

Duke and Durham are inextricably linked. The economic vitality and quality of life in our city and its cultural, educational, and recreational opportunities are important to the university's ability to recruit and retain talented faculty, students, and staff. Duke contributes to Durham's life through the employment opportunities and medical services we offer and the cultural facilities and programs we provide. Recognizing our responsibility to be a constructive citizen of Durham, in 1996, the Board of Trustees endorsed the creation of the Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership, a structured alliance between Duke, the 12 neighborhoods surrounding its campus, and the seven public schools that serve them. The Neighborhood Partnership, supported by over $10 million in the past five years, is based on fundamental principles of mutual trust, community empowerment, and collaboration. We commit to continuing to build the programs in the Neighborhood Partnership, with particular emphasis on K-12 education and youth development, neighborhood stabilization, support for our non-profit partners, and engagement of Duke students in the life of Durham. Moving forward, the revitalization of downtown Durham and areas adjacent to Duke's Central and East Campuses will be a high Duke priority. We intend to build upon Duke's leadership as an anchor tenant in the American Tobacco Project in the heart of downtown, as well as Blue Devil Ventures and other downtown developments, which are estimated to have catalyzed more than $400 million in downtown investment over the last five years. We will strengthen our partnership with Durham to help build the downtown area, West Main, and the 9 th Street district, into vibrant places to live, work, shop, and enjoy cultural and recreational opportunities. This will require an increase in resources and administrative emphasis, as well as a more active role in partnering with the city, citizens and developers. Creating the new Central Campus, one of the most significant projects in Duke's history, is a key component in our Duke-Durham relationship. The first phase of the project, due to open in the fall of 2009, is primarily a place for Duke students, faculty, and staff to live, study, and work. Yet, its success must foster, and is also dependent upon, the vitality of Duke's neighboring residential and commercial communities. Development of the Central Campus will need to complement Duke's broader strategy in Durham and Central Campus must be a resource for the cultural development of both the Duke and the Durham communities. The Nasher Museum will be an important component of the cultural complementarity. So too will the Center for Documentary Studies and the John Hope Franklin Center, both of which are expected to be located on Central, with their wide range of campus and community programs. As an educational institution, Duke has particular interest in helping to improve the quality of education in Durham. The performance of K-12 education is a special area of opportunity, and Duke reaffirms its commitment to systematically engage members of its faculty and staff in the public schools and in related programs where Duke's expertise and resources can enhance the educational achievement of local youth, particularly in partnership neighborhoods. We also recognize that North Carolina Central University (NCCU) and Durham Technical Community College (Durham Tech) present opportunities for educational partnerships that can not only serve the needs of students at all three institutions, but can serve the Durham community. For example, NCCU and Duke are both making major investments in biotechnology, and these universities have been partnering with the Durham Public Schools to strengthen student performance with a focus on closing the achievement gap through Duke's Project HOPE and NCCU's Project CARE. Durham Tech works closely with Duke's School of Nursing and other programs to help ensure that the technical and literacy skills needed to sustain the continued strength and career advancement of Duke's workforce, and we will actively exploit such collaborations in the future. Our greatest strengths and opportunities for partnerships to improve the quality of life in our community are in education and medical care, and we are committed to extend these to Durham in a more targeted way. Durham and its people will be a major focus - and a major beneficiary - of Duke's Global Health Institute. Duke is acutely aware that global health issues include local as well as distant challenges. The development of community-based health clinics, among numerous other Duke University Health System sponsored programs serving Durham, is only one aspect of Duke's efforts to address health inequalities in our closest communities. Alleviating some of these inequalities through community partnerships and providing the necessary infrastructure, often in partnership with local government, will continue to be a priority for Duke's engagement. Finally, we recognize that Duke is the largest employer in Durham. This gives us a particular responsibility to ensure that our policies and practices support our belief that working at Duke should be a positive experience, with employees treated fairly and encouraged to develop to the best of their abilities and talents. Over the next planning period, we will focus efforts on learning more about the experience of our employees and addressing issues that emerge so that Duke is not only Durham's largest employer but also its most respected.

Stakeholder(s):

• Durham, North Carolina

Indicator(s):

Indicator:1

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