Dear Colleagues,

We have been overwhelmed by colleagues' excitement about kicking off a more typical fall semester. We are particularly pleased that our orientation plans for first-year and transfer students will consist primarily of in-person activities, barring unforeseen changes in COVID precautions.

A primary goal of this year’s New Student Orientation is to provide meaningful faculty interaction for each of our students. To that end, we have reserved Thursday, August 19th, to introduce the Class of 2025 and transfer students to our academic environment, opportunities, and - of course - our faculty. We write to ask that you help us welcome our newest undergraduates during a class-wide “New Student Faculty Lunch,” which will take place August 19, between noon and 1:30 p.m., on East Campus.

Please join us by hosting an informal group lunch outdoors with up to 11 first-year or transfer students -- on us. This event will be organized by New Student Programs, and all participants will receive a boxed lunch. We will be following COVID safety precautions. 

Please let us know if you plan to participate by August 1st, to provide ample time for our teams to plan. You can sign up here: New Student Faculty Lunch. We hope to recruit 150 faculty for this very special event.

Here are those details once again: Thursday, August 19, 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m., East Campus

We hear daily from our incoming students about their desire to build community and make meaningful connections with our faculty, and I think we would all agree that the faculty-student relationship is central to our promise of a transformative undergraduate experience. We cannot think of a better way to set the tone for the year - and for about 1,780 Duke careers - by introducing students to faculty members before they even set foot in a classroom.

For additional information, please contact Grace Sullivan, associate director of New Student and Family Programs, at grace.sullivan@duke.edu. 

Best wishes for a smooth remainder to your summer.

Sally Kornbluth
Provost  

Gary Bennett
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education

Mary Pat McMahon
Vice Provost of Student Affairs