Welcome to the 2024-25 Academic Year

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Dear Duke community,
 
Welcome to the 2024-25 academic year!
 

This time of year is an opportunity for renewal and reflection, and that is especially true this fall as we mark the arrival of the 100th undergraduate class to enroll at Duke University. The Centennial celebration has highlighted how much has been achieved here over the last 100 years and the exciting trajectory Duke is on as it enters its next century. There’s no place I’d rather be, and I hope you feel the same.
 
The Duke of today is a diverse community of students, trainees, faculty, and staff, and we all play a part in ensuring its continued excellence and impact in the world. The coming year will offer many exciting opportunities for all of us to learn and grow through education, research, service, and interaction as a community. My hope for each of you is to experience the transformative power of learning, whether in a lecture hall, lab, or library — or on a quad, at a performance, or around the lunch table. This university is deeply committed to providing an environment in which all members of our intellectual community can thrive.

Over the next few months, much attention will be focused on the November elections. Our scholars and teachers will share their expertise and insights to help us understand and debate important issues facing our state, the country, and the world. In this way, we will continue Duke’s rich tradition of academic freedom, constructive discourse, and learning through engagement. As members of a community that prizes knowledge and understanding, we owe it to ourselves and each other to listen to diverse perspectives, engage a wide range of ideas, and acknowledge that differences of opinion are the hallmark of a vibrant, pluralistic community. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed the first day of the fall semester. You have my best wishes for a great year.
 
Sincerely,

Alec D. Gallimore, Ph.D.

Provost

Alfred J. Hooks E '68 Distinguished Professor