In the past half-century, Duke University has transformed from a well-regarded regional institution to a leading global university. But what has taken place over the last five decades to shape Duke into the institution it is today? 

To alignment with Duke’s centennial, this project team generated a set of oral history interviews that provide perspectives on the trends that have remade Duke over the past half-century. Team members evaluated and chose a diverse set of informants, with a focus on administrators, faculty and staff members who could speak to Duke’s evolution over time.

Timing

Summer 2023 – Summer 2024

Team Outputs

Oral history interviews

Report including key themes, methods and biographical information of interviewees

This Team in the News

New Project Teams Will Delve Into Duke’s History to Mark the Centennial

See related History+ summer project, Duke and the Evolution of Higher Education (2024). 

Image: Five Women at Duke University, 1976, from the University Archives Photograph Collection