Message from the Director
Bass Connections: A Signature Part of the Duke Experience
As Bass Connections completes its thirteenth year, we stand at the threshold of a new chapter. The program has become an integral part of Duke’s educational landscape, yet its mission feels more urgent than ever. The challenges our students will face are becoming more complex, interconnected and difficult to anticipate. From climate adaptation and health equity to antimicrobial resistance and the future of democratic institutions, the most pressing problems of our time do not fit neatly within a single discipline. Addressing “superbugs” in a changing climate, for example, requires researchers to connect environmental conditions, public health, clinical practice and the experiences of affected communities.
Bass Connections prepares students to engage with this complexity. Entrusted with meaningful questions, they work closely with faculty and partners, encounter different forms of expertise and engage in open-ended inquiry. Along the way, they learn to evaluate evidence, exercise judgment, communicate across differences and persist when research takes an unexpected turn. These capacities are increasingly important as artificial intelligence reshapes how knowledge is produced, accessed and applied. Students must learn not only to use new tools, but also to determine what can be trusted, ask better questions and create knowledge with others.
This year marked an important leadership transition. In June, we said farewell to Ed Balleisen, who in July became provost and executive vice president of academic affairs at George Washington University. Throughout his tenure as vice provost for interdisciplinary programs, Ed brought vision, practical wisdom and unflagging enthusiasm to Bass Connections. He understood that the program’s success depends not only on bold ideas, but also on the relationships, structures and care required to bring those ideas to life. I am personally grateful for his encouragement, mentorship and steadfast belief in the power of people working across boundaries.
We are delighted to welcome Manoj Mohanan as Duke’s new vice provost for interdisciplinary programs. Mohanan is Creed C. Black Professor of Public Policy and most recently served as interim dean of the Sanford School of Public Policy. His appointment offers an opportunity to build on Bass Connections’ strong foundation and deepen its connections across the university.
Looking ahead, we are focused on expanding access to project-based learning, extending the Bass Connections model into more curricular settings and strengthening partnerships beyond the university. The record response to our call for 2026-2027 project proposals and a corresponding rise in student applications for year-long teams underscore the strong interest among faculty and students of all levels in collaborative, applied research. It also challenges us to identify new ways to meet that demand while preserving the depth and quality of the Bass Connections experience.
In partnership with the Duke Center for Teaching and Learning, we launched the fourth cohort of the Collaborative Project Courses Faculty Fellows program. Since 2020, the program has engaged more than 60 faculty members from across eight Duke schools, as well as university-wide institutes and centers. Their courses connect students with Durham partners, local nonprofits and real-world projects, including women’s health advocacy, sustainable building practices, food insecurity and immigration.
Community-engaged research remains central to this work. Community partners help shape questions, interpret findings and determine meaningful outcomes. In partnership with the Duke Center for Community-Engaged Scholarship, we are helping project teams forge purposeful and equitable partnerships.
Together, these priorities will help Bass Connections respond to changing needs while remaining grounded in what we have learned over thirteen years. They reaffirm what makes the program — and a Duke education — distinctive: Bass Connections prepares students to become critical thinkers and effective collaborators while advancing research with the potential to make a difference beyond the classroom and the university.
Thank you to everyone whose commitment sustains this work. I am grateful for all that we have accomplished together this year, and I look forward to the next chapter of Bass Connections.