Office of the Dean

One of the “Duke differences” is our ability to provide undergraduates with a wealth of opportunities to engage with faculty in mentored research. In addition to a vibrant and well-rounded curriculum, Duke students can work with a collaborative and committed faculty to advance knowledge in a wide variety of fields.

The academic opportunities in the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, as well as in engineering, the environment, and public policy, are unparalleled in institutions of higher education today. I hope that students will take full advantage of the rich educational possibilities that await them.

The mission of Trinity College of Arts and Sciences at Duke University has several dimensions: 

• Provide a world-class liberal arts education to undergraduate students, attending not only to their intellectual growth but also to their development as adults who are committed to high ethical standards and full participation as leaders in their fields and communities.
• Advance the frontiers of knowledge and contribute boldly to the international community of scholarship.
• Promote an intellectual environment built on a commitment to free and open inquiry.
• Promote a deep appreciation for the range of human difference and potential, a sense of the obligations and rewards of citizenship, and a commitment to learning, freedom and truth.

Toward these ends, Duke is committed to providing an extraordinary undergraduate and graduate education; to excellence in disciplinary and interdisciplinary research; to tackling the challenges of building diversity; and to innovation in global education. In our classrooms and studios, in labs and libraries, and in communities at home and abroad, there is something in Trinity for all Duke students who wish to challenge themselves and transform the world.

Sincerely,

Valerie S. Ashby
Dean of Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
asdean@duke.edu