The Duke Endowment Commits $12 Million to Faculty Support
October 6, 2016
The Duke Endowment has committed $12 million over four years in support of faculty at Davidson College, the two organizations announced Thursday evening. The gift, focused on building a faculty for the future, will support Davidson’s institutional commitment to inclusivity, allow for the strategic recruitment and hiring of pre-tenure faculty and provide all faculty with flexible professional development, research, and curricular innovation opportunities. A matching gift component for donors interested in creating endowed professorships at Davidson is included as part of The Duke Endowment’s gift.
“We must continue to build a faculty that is creative, collaborative, and representative of our multifaceted student body and nation,” said Wendy Raymond, vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty. “Our graduates are entering a rapidly changing world, and faculty members seek to evolve as teacher-scholars and teacher-artists to best prepare Davidson students for lives of leadership and service. This tremendous gift from The Duke Endowment ensures that the Davidson faculty will remain leaders in the constantly changing landscape of higher education.”
In 2012, The Duke Endowment awarded $45 million to Davidson, the largest single grant ever given to the college, in support of the college’s vision for a transdisciplinary Academic Neighborhood. In the two years that followed, The Duke Endowment approved a $3.4 million grant to help Davidson, Duke University, Johnson C. Smith University, and Furman University collaborate on increasing student resilience. The Endowment also gave $6 million to Davidson, aimed at scholarships that bolster the college’s commitment to educational excellence and access.
“The Duke Endowment has long been Davidson’s primary partner as we think creatively about how best to provide a premier educational experience that enables students to make an impact for good in the world,” said Davidson College President Carol Quillen. “They have helped us build upon our strengths through gifts to the E. Craig Wall, Jr. Academic Center, The Davidson Trust, the Davidson Research Initiative, and beyond. We are deeply appreciative of their continued investment in Davidson students, our faculty, and the culture of unfettered inquiry we build together.”
Teaching informed by research, and vice versa, is central to Davidson’s distinctiveness, and the college’s faculty is among the top-rated in the nation. The Duke Endowment’s most recent gift will further enrich Davidson’s intellectual community and nurture new perspectives in the classroom and otherwise.
“The Duke Endowment has long appreciated the ways Davidson professors approach their relationships with students and the research they pursue together,” said Minor Shaw, chair of The Duke Endowment Board of Trustees. “The college’s plans for faculty recruitment, retention, and development will positively affect the institution’s promising future.”
About The Duke Endowment
Based in Charlotte and established in 1924 by industrialist and philanthropist James B. Duke, The Duke Endowment is a private foundation that strengthens communities in North Carolina and South Carolina by nurturing children, promoting health, educating minds and enriching spirits. Since its founding, it has distributed more than $3.4 billion in grants. The Endowment shares a name with Duke University and Duke Energy, but all are separate organizations.
