Duke University receives $100 million; largest single award in school history
Duke University received $100 million from the Duke Endowment on Thursday to celebrate the university's 100th anniversary.
According to the university, it is the largest, single award in its history. Duke University was founded in 1924 by James Buchanan Duke as a memorial to his father, Washington Duke.
The university says the award will:
- Expand access to a Duke education
- Boost support for Duke students, especially those from the Carolinas and Duke graduate students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other minority-serving institutions
- Deepen the university’s community partnerships
- Honor Wilhelmina Reuben-Cooke’s legacy by making the building that bears her name a model for 21st-century teaching and learning
“Our two institutions have a shared origin story, and I am delighted that The Duke Endowment has chosen to launch our centennial with this historic award that will shape the Duke student experience in our second century,” Duke University President Vincent E. Price said in a statement. “This award underscores the value of transformative teaching and learning experiences that prepare students to successfully engage with the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.”
The initiative, announced in June, will support more than 340 undergrad students during the current semester.
“We are committed to continuing to make a Duke education accessible and affordable to students from a wide range of backgrounds,” said Provost Alec. D. Gallimore. “This extraordinary award will benefit hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students from the Carolina and beyond, each year, in all areas of Duke University.”
The Duke Endowment, based in Charlotte, is Duke’s largest donor and has awarded nearly $2 billion to the university and Duke Health over the last century.
