Duke University - Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

Testimony to the vision of James B. Duke is that the university he founded in 1924 ranks in teaching and scholarship with American universities that date from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Our tradition of excellence is built on the university’s endowment, whose growth has been overseen by the professionals of the Duke Management Company.

In addition, our professional development officers:

• build relationships with alumni, parents, and friends;
• qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward prospects and donors;
• educate constituencies on and off campus about the priorities of Trinity College of Arts & Sciences;
• serve as a continuing resource to prospects, donors, and development colleagues;
• serve as a liaison to the faculty and administration on development issues;
• manage the Trinity Board of Visitors.

The generosity of alumni, parents, corporate and foundation supporters, and friends helps us with our short-term needs and our long-term aspirations. Gifts to the Annual Fund help pay for laboratory microscopes, computer lab printers, academic programs, extracurricular activities, and more.

Gifts to endowment
Gifts to endowment ensure the fiscal health of the university in the future. A portion of the endowment’s earnings are spent on current operations and for purposes specified by donors. The rest of the investment yield is returned to principal, where it can grow over the years. Our endowment permits me and the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences divisional deans to nurture innovative programs like Focus and DukeEngage that are Duke hallmarks.

• Undergraduate scholarships: Endowed funds provide financial aid to all qualified undergraduates, maintaining Duke’s tradition of need-blind admissions and sustaining the diversity vital to campus life.
• Graduate fellowships: Endowment creates fellowships for graduate students, who serve as apprentices and colleagues to faculty and mentors to undergraduates.
• Professorships: Endowed faculty chairs enable Duke to recruit and retain faculty who excel in teaching, research, and service.
• Academic programming: Endowments in key areas such as the arts, and for all academic programs, centers, and departments, maintain the strength of the undergraduate curriculum.

Endowment gifts are bridges between generations: such gifts made in the past benefit today’s students and faculty; gifts made today—your gifts—will benefit the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences of tomorrow. 

Laurie L. Patton
Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences and Dean of Trinity College