Hello fellow alumni and friends,

As I wrap up my 15th year since returning to Pratt, I find myself reflecting on how proud I am to be a Duke Engineer. It is hard to imagine 25 years ago as a student when I had to look both ways coming out of the chapel woods before crossing the road to get to Teer and Hudson. Seeing what the school has become is truly awe-inspiring to me.

Before I accepted the job offer to return to Duke in 2009, I was asked if I had any concern of seeing the internal workings of a place I loved so much. This question gave me pause for a couple reasons. First, I realized that I couldn’t hide how much I loved this place and, clearly, I had given up most of my bargaining power as they knew I was going to accept the job. But it also made me reflect on what it is that made me love Duke Engineering.

Today, the engineering campus is different. With the Fitzpatrick Center opening in 2004, and then the Wilkinson Building in 2021, the footprint of Pratt’s campus has more than doubled. The size of the faculty has nearly tripled, and even the undergraduate population is 20% larger than when I was a student. It was, by all visible measures, a different school. Despite all this change, my admiration and pride in Duke Engineering has not changed. What I have come to realize is this: The love isn’t for the place—it is for the people.

Despite all the growth, Pratt still has the same ethos and culture that allows faculty and students to come together around hard work, laughter and joy. I couldn’t be prouder of my school and can’t imagine a more meaningful path my life could have taken than the one I’m on that allows me to help Pratt grow. If you asked me what the biggest difference is now, I might say it is just that the coffee is better.

Thank you all for your support of Duke and the pride we share as Duke Engineers.

Cheers,

Jim Ruth E'01
Senior Associate Dean and Director of Development & Alumni Affairs
Duke Pratt School of Engineering

It was a delight to see so many of our Board of Visitors members assemble here on campus for our annual spring meeting, which took place April 25-27. After having spent time together with many members a few months ago in Nashville, the weekend took on a feeling more like a reunion than a business event. But business did need to be taken care of, and as always, the agenda was jam-packed with updates on a variety of the school’s activities and poignant insights from those attending. 

Friday morning’s list of speakers included an update on the state of the school from Dean Jerry Lynch followed by an in-depth look at how the Christensen Family Center for Innovation (CFCI) is growing and evolving to help launch Pratt technology into new companies, engage with the local community, and provide product management opportunities to both students and local startups. We were then reminded of just how powerful it is to have an engineer as Duke’s provost, as Alec Gallimore, former dean of the University of Michigan College of Engineering, expressed his dedication to helping our school educate the future engineering leaders our world needs to solve its grand challenges. 

The BOV then heard about the future directions of our Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, including the launch of a new center called RESILE, which is focused on addressing climate change through the finance and insurance industries. BOV President Stacy Gardner then shared her expanding efforts to bring engineering-based classes to local high schools through her e4usa program, which is alive and strong at Oxford Preparatory School just a half hour north of Durham. 

After lunch, the BOV broke into committee sessions, where a wide range of topics were discussed and planned over, including marketing and branding for CFCI, educating leaders to tackle climate change, improving the student experience, ensuring a Duke Engineering education is attainable to the brightest youths regardless of their background, and the financial health of the school. Before breaking to get ready for the Engineering Awards Banquet (more on that later), attendees were wowed by dozens of ingenious student projects, such as this year’s Duke Motorsports racecar built over the last two years from the ground-up.

Saturday wrapped everything up with an inspiring visit from Nina King, vice president and director of Duke Athletics, a finance report from Becca Dupre, associate dean for finance and administration, and committee report outs from their talks the previous day. 

It was truly an incredibly productive (and fun!) weekend, and we look forward to seeing everyone again in the fall!

Duke University was established in 1924 when James B. Duke, through the Indenture of Trust, designated a gift that transformed Trinity College into a comprehensive research university. In 2024, Duke University launched a celebration of its centennial—a historic opportunity to recognize Duke’s extraordinary past, communicate the impact of the present and look toward the potential of Duke’s future. 

Always the crown jewel of the spring Board of Visitors meeting, the Engineering Alumni Council (EAC) Awards banquet drew hundreds of alumni, students, staff, faculty, and friends to the Washington Duke Inn for a night recognizing some of the greatest achievements of our Duke Engineering family. After Dean Lynch presented the annual faculty and staff awards, the room turned its attention to celebrating the winners of the EAC’s Distinguished Alumni and Service Awards. Congratulations to all of this year’s winners!

Michael J. Bingle (E’ 94) was presented with the Distinguished Alumni Award for his work as vice chairman of Silver Lake Group as well as his dedication and service to Pratt. Besides helping to lead Silver Lake’s more than $90 billion of technology assets under management, Mike has always shown steadfast support to the school, including not hesitating to become the donor toward what is now our fabulous new Wilkinson Engineering Building. 

Anna Menon (G’10) was presented the Distinguished Young Alumni Award for her incredible journey to literally take her Pratt education to space. She is an American engineer and crew member of Polaris Dawn, the first human spaceflight mission of the Polaris Program, where she serves in the role of medical officer and mission specialist for the crew of four. When not training for space, she works as a senior space operations engineer at SpaceX, and she was previously a biomedical flight controller for the International Space Station when working for NASA. 

Ellen M. Ray was presented the Distinguished Service Award for her more than five-decade-long career with Pratt’s Biomedical Engineering Department. One of BME’s very first staff members, she began her tenure focusing on technical manuscripts before being promoted to the department’s administrative assistant and then its business manager. Emblematic of Pratt’s culture of family, Ellen is always going above and beyond to help the students and coworkers she so clearly cares dearly for.

Duke University is dedicated to admitting top students and ensuring they have the financial support they need. This commitment has led to a diverse student body, enriching the university experience for all. Many students work hard to attend Duke, but without financial aid, their dreams may be out of reach. Financial aid is essential for students to achieve their goals at Duke.

Your contribution to the Annual Fund fuels Duke Engineering's journey towards groundbreaking innovation and transformative education. By supporting us, you empower our vision for the future, enabling personalized educational programs, scholarships, faculty recruitment, and student experiences. 

Join us in shaping the future of engineering education and research. Your support makes it all possible.

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