Duke’s Centennial Founders’ Day and Homecoming delivered a fitting and unforgettable celebration of the meteoric ascendance of Duke University, the excellence of the Duke community and the virtue of our shared story. During that weekend, we reflected on Duke’s journey from a small local college to a world-renowned university. We renamed the East Union Building in honor of George and George-Frank Wall, recognizing the Wall family’s impact on Duke and Durham. We celebrated our volunteers, whose passion and commitment fuel Duke Alumni. We sang together in the torrential rain during the Centennial concert. And we cheered the football team to an unforgettable, come-from-behind victory over the Tar Heels. From the awe-inspiring sight of a drone-lit Blue Devil in the Durham night sky to the thunderous roar of the crowd at the interception sealing our gridiron victory, homecoming captured the essence of our Duke spirit and added to the lore of Duke.
In the early months of my service as president of the Duke Alumni Board of Directors, I enjoyed the privilege of meeting members of our community and learning their stories. In these conversations, I was reminded of an undeniable truth, as best explained by former Duke President Richard Brodhead when he wrote that he found “Duke’s mythology to be substantially true.” Our community is rooted in the principles of working together, learning from one another, striving toward enlightenment, solving challenging problems, and catalyzing progress. These are the bonds that bind us, and these are the ideals that carry us forward.
There are times when the news weighs heavy on me, leaving me cynical and pessimistic. Our politics are engineered to divide rather than unite. Our leaders often turn to fear and intimidation rather than hope and optimism. Compromise in government, a virtue once held in high esteem, is rare, occurring, if at all, behind closed doors, far from the eyes of voting constituencies. Yet, when I return to Duke and observe our collaboration, how we work together in celebration of (rather than in spite of) our differences, and when I see the outrageous ambition of our community, I grow increasingly grateful for Duke – proud of our shared values and genuinely optimistic about our future.
While the buzz of homecoming remains fresh in our minds, the Duke community does not dwell on the past for long. Rather, we look ahead to our next challenges. As President Vincent Price stated during homecoming weekend, “No one in this room feels like the best days are behind Duke. Our best days are absolutely in front of us.” So, true to form, as our Centennial year draws to a close, it is time for us to look ahead.
In the coming weeks, we will welcome 2025. Amidst the clamor of the news cycle, the echo chamber of our social media feeds, and the struggles and burdens we face individually, communally and globally, I remain steadfast in my optimism. I draw confidence in the knowledge that the Duke community, bound together by our shared story and common values, stands ready, willing and able to lead us forward, committed in our pursuit of a brighter tomorrow – one forged in the spirit of cooperation. Let us not lose sight of the promise of the Duke community and the joy we share in simply being together.