A Message from the Dean

Image

Friends of The Graduate School,  

It is with great pride and honor that I invite you to join The Graduate School in a year-long celebration of our 2026 centennial year. Our aim is to create spaces for our community to reflect not only on our achievements and those of our predecessors these past 100 years, but to envision together what the next century of graduate education will look like at Duke.  

Across these 100 years, our dynamic and evolving network of scholars, mentors, alumni, and staff has advanced knowledge and improved lives. We have launched fields, bridged disciplines, and cultivated the intellectual curiosity and rigor that define Duke and have made us a global leader in academic research. Yet, an honest accounting requires acknowledging that we have not always gotten everything right. We have listened, learned, and reformed—continually bending toward perfection—because our mission demands nothing less. 

Looking ahead, our next century will be shaped by challenges that call for graduate education at its best: driving discovery through initiatives in science and technology, confronting climate and environmental complexity, enhancing the student experience and wellbeing, and engaging our global network to partner with purpose. These priorities will continue to be grounded in a commitment to equity and inclusivity as a foundational value woven through all we do. 

As we mark this milestone, I invite you to join us in celebrating the people and ideas that made our first hundred years possible, and in constructing the next hundred. The centennial is both a moment of reflection and bridge to the future, where our curiosity will shape discoveries we can scarcely imagine today.  

With anticipation, 

Suzanne Barbour, Ph.D. 
Professor of Cell Biology 
Dean of The Graduate School and Vice Provost for Graduate Education 
Duke University 

Image