Office of the Dean

I am honored to serve in the capacity of Interim Dean of Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. Although my time in this role will not extend beyond one year, we will be guided by these principles and priorities in the months to come:

Continuity: Our primary goal is to ensure that Trinity continues to focus on the priorities that have guided our work since 2015: Advancing excellence in teaching, research and service; fostering diversity and inclusion as a means of achieving excellence; and elevating leadership and mentoring.

The curriculum development effort launched this spring will have our full support, and we will continue working with our faculty-led Trinity Committee on Anti-Racism as we walk out their recommendations in pursuit of a more equitable culture across the college.

We anticipate upholding all decisions made during Dean Valerie Ashby’s tenure as we navigate this transition.

Strengthening Community: Our academic units continue to adapt to monumental shifts in work and learning aggravated by the ongoing COVID pandemic. We want to support efforts to fully re-engage in our campus community and to further meaningful connections we have with one another. We must ensure we are present and adapting, as necessary, to meet our students’ needs and to deliver on our mission of providing a world-class liberal arts education in a research environment to every Duke student.

"Every Duke student" includes our large graduate student community, many of whom are struggling with lost connections, increasing costs-of-living, health and family concerns, and other tensions increasingly apparent in the world today.

Team-based Decision Making: The Senior Leadership Team for Trinity College serves an essential role in all decision making. This will remain true throughout this transitional period. We come together weekly during the academic year to thoroughly discuss and seek solutions to any challenges facing Trinity and its academic units, seeking out additional perspectives on issues whenever necessary and also working closely with our partners across Duke leadership and administration.

It is a privilege to serve our Trinity College of Arts & Sciences students and colleagues and I welcome the chance to connect or re-connect with alumni and friends. My door is open, and I look forward to engaging with many of you over the coming year.
 

Mohamed A.F. Noor
Interim Dean, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences