Guess Who's Coming to Dinner -- A Revamped Duke Conversations
Revamped program brings top speakers to meet with students informally
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Durham, NC -- At a place where students get many opportunities to meet with fascinating people, Duke Conversations stands out. The program, first introduced by President Richard H. Brodhead, brings together students and notable individuals of their choice in an informal setting. This semester, Duke is revamping the four-year-old program to allow a wider spectrum of the student population to meet the guests.
A Duke Conversation consists of a casual dinner dialogue with a guest and up to 16 students. Starting this year, the dinner will be held on campus. The program will also include a community hour for 25-50 students.
“The changes better reflect President Brodhead’s vision of creating an opportunity for students to meet with exceptional individuals in a relaxed venue,” said Dean and Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Steve Nowicki.
A university committee that included faculty and students refined and streamlined the program, creating a selection committee composed of students, faculty, and staff to review nominations from students. Selected experts will receive transportation and accommodations through the Duke Conversations program, with no additional honorarium, in exchange for sharing his or her expertise with Duke students.
Past guests have included the producer of The Ring and CNN’s 2008 Hero of the Year. “Imagine reading about someone’s amazing life in a book, or finding out about it through some other media, and wanting to engage that person and find out more about their lives, about how they got to where they are and do what they do,” said Zoila Airall, assistant vice president for Student Affairs. “This program gives students that opportunity. They just love it.”
Alumnus Andrew Tutt, T’08, who participated in Duke Conversations from its inception, encouraged all students to do take full advantage of the program. “It gave us the opportunity to think critically about the wisdom people gain from successful lives,” said Tutt, recalling one dinner with Peter Agre, recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. “I sat across from him as he mulled running for the Senate. Even if the conversations were short, they were packed with the deep questions college raises, and ultimately, that's the whole point of this education, isn't it?”
Any undergraduate may nominate a Duke Conversations guest by completing the form on the OSAF website, http://osaf.studentaffairs.duke.edu/. Fall semester guest nominations are due September 14. The first of this semester’s Duke Conversations guests are expected to visit campus in October.
Duke Conversations will be publicized on the Office of Student Activities and Facilities (OSAF) website, as well as on buzz, the Duke Student Calendar.