Image
Loading...
Above: Undergraduate students from Virginia Commonwealth University visit Duke University in the spring of 2025 to learn more about the graduate student experience at Duke.
For undergraduate students planning their next steps, the path to graduate school is not always clearly marked. Even highly capable students may face uncertainty or lack the appropriate resources to consider an advanced degree, especially a doctorate, a realistic option for their future. Total graduate student enrollment in the United States has steadily declined over the last decade, as reported by The Council of Graduate School’s Graduate Enrollment and Degrees 2024 Report.
Providing resources and opportunities for engagement between prospective students and graduate programs is one tool to help students make more informed decisions about their academic futures.
The EDGE Initiative—a partnership between Duke and ten regional institutions—hopes to answer this need. During the summer of 2025, The Graduate School welcomed the consortium to Duke for the second annual EDGE Summit Partners Meeting, encompassing two days of discussions and workshops organized around a central theme: the importance of creating a strong culture of mentorship.
The 2025 Summit: Mentorship and Collaboration
The “Enhancing Exploring Doctoral Graduate Education” program, or “EDGE,” was formed in 2024 when Dean of The Graduate School Suzanne Barbour, Ph.D., invited regional institutions to discuss the benefits of forming a coalition. This partnership would serve multiple purposes: supporting graduate education at each institution through sharing resources and best practices, while also creating pipelines for undergraduate students to explore the benefits of pursuing an advanced degree.
The 2025 summit meeting, organized by Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Development J. Alan Kendrick, offered a chance for continued strategic planning and reflection. Faculty and administrators from the ten partner institutions—including Hampton University, Howard University, Johnson C. Smith University, Morehouse College, North Carolina Central University, UNC-Asheville, UNC-Greensboro, Virginia State University, and Virginia Union University—explored ways to strengthen the coalition, expand student engagement, and build sustainable support systems for graduate education.
By building intentional partnerships, investing in mentorship, and improving fair access to graduate education, EDGE plays a key role in The Graduate School’s broader goals of cultivating academic communities rooted in inclusive excellence and preparing future scholars to lead in their fields.
Participants engaged in a mini-workshop led by CIMER-trained facilitators—including Maria Wisdom, Mike Boyce, and Johnna Frierson—focused on mentoring strategies that support student mental health and wellness. A session on incorporating coaching into mentoring practices, led by Maria Wisdom, offered practical tools for enhancing mentor–mentee relationships.
Image
Notably, the summit welcomed Duke University Provost Alec D. Gallimore who shared his perspective on how the EDGE initiative aligns with Duke’s strategic vision of empowering bold thinkers, transforming teaching and learning, and perhaps most importantly, forging purposeful partnerships.
The 2025 summit concluded with collaborative discussions on applying insights from the meeting and building momentum for future initiatives.
Expanding Access and Impact
Beyond the summit, EDGE has made tangible strides in outreach and student engagement. During the 2024–2025 academic year, Duke hosted two prospective student visits from EDGE partners: a virtual visit from Virginia State University and an in-person visit from Virginia Commonwealth University, with more than 30 students in attendance who experienced Duke’s campus firsthand, asked questions about the process of applying to graduate school, and made connections with potential future graduate school mentors.
By building intentional partnerships, investing in mentorship, and improving fair access to graduate education, EDGE plays a key role in The Graduate School’s broader goals of cultivating academic communities rooted in inclusive excellence and preparing future scholars to lead in their fields.