Global Priorities Committee
Jeff Vincent, Chair
Academic Council, October 20, 2011
History
• Spring 2011
– 2 meetings
• Fall 2011
– 2 meetings
Membership
• Nominated by ECAC, appointed by the VP&VP-GSP
• Senior faculty members
– 6 from schools with undergraduate bodies
– 6 from professional schools
– 1 from ECAC
– 1-2 from broader membership of Academic Council
• Ex officio. Several, including:
– Provost
– VP&VP-GSP
– Chair of Academic Council
Charge
1. “assessing university and academic programs and activities
operating globally, both when they are being created and in
monitoring ongoing performance”
2. “reviewing and refining Duke’s global strategy”
Review/revise “due diligence” questions
From “Duke as a Global Research University: Outlining the Shape of our Global Strategy” (L.
Gregory Jones, August 2010):
… we need to ask the following sets of questions as due diligence:
(1) What is the current state of higher education in this country/region? What other western educational institutions are in this
context, and what are they doing? How do the educational, research, and developmental needs of the country/region line up
with Duke’s character, strengths, and vision? What can Duke’s distinctive contribution be in this context?
(2) What political, legal, financial, cultural or institutional obstacles exist which make working in this country/region difficult? Can
those obstacles be successfully overcome? Who are the best academic partners for us to work with in this country/region?
(3) How would Duke establishing a major institutional presence in this country/region contribute to our global networks of
embedded and connected relationships and institutions? What benefits will accrue to the country/region by our presence?
What benefits will accrue to Duke?
(4) What potential educational partners are available, and what are their strengths and weaknesses? What forms of collaboration
would be most advantageous?
(5) What are the assets and liabilities of working in this country/region? What are the long-term prospects for stability: politically,
economically, and for potential partners? How will we address instabilities if they occur?
(6) What economic resources are needed to launch this initiative, and where will they come from? Are we confident of the
credibility and ongoing commitment of our key financial supporters? What are the prospects for long-term sustainability, and
what models underlie the assessment of those prospects?
(7) What Duke intellectual resources (faculty, staff, expertise) will be needed to establish a major initiative in this region? What
opportunity costs might be involved?
(8) What are the reputational opportunities and risks for Duke in establishing an institutional presence in this region/country? How
do our potential academic partners and financial supporters affect these opportunities and risks?
Duke’s presence abroad
(http://global.duke.edu/admin/map)
Tier 1:
Physical presence (office, lab, classroom)
Staff on the ground
Expenditures > $250K/yr
Review/revise criteria for identifying “major regions”
From “Duke as a Global Research University: Outlining the
Shape of our Global Strategy” (L. Gregory Jones, August 2010):
• We need to engage major cultural, economic, and political
contexts, understood in terms of dynamic economies,
population centers, or control of access to major resources.
• We need to engage areas of significant human need.
• We need to engage diverse contexts to ensure we are
genuinely global.
• We need to engage places where there are significant
research opportunities, especially as those opportunities
enhance Duke’s role as a convener in addressing major global
issues.
Assess faculty interest/activities
in particular countries/regions
• India
• Sub-Saharan Africa
• Middle East and the Maghreb
• Europe
• Others?
How to engage?
• More international students/activities in Durham?
More activities abroad?
• Foreign sites with multiple programs?
“Thousand flowers bloom”?
• Integrate education / research / service?
Focus on one or two?
• Go it alone?
Collaborate?
Review experience with setting global priorities
• Duke Global Health Institute
• Duke Clinical Research Institute
• Duke Center for International Development
• Duke Global Education Office for Undergraduates
• DukeEngage
• Duke Center for International Studies and other Title VI centers
• Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School
• Others?
Other activities
• Monitoring DKU
– China Faculty Council
• Conference on globalization of higher education?
• Others?
Thank you!
Jeff.Vincent@duke.edu