<p>The “work hard play hard” atmosphere is not going anywhere at Duke. Speaking as an alum to current students, ya’ll are going to miss out on the drunken debauchery that was Tailgate but the flipside of that is you have a better football team to watch. There is still an active Greek Life on campus and unless Durham turns into a bustling metropolis overnight, the epicenter of Duke’s social life will still be situated at parties on West Campus and off-campus fraternity-rented houses off East Campus.</p>
<p>I think that the hew house system will make the residential system much stronger and the renovations to the West Campus Union will turn the least aesthetically pleasing part of the Gothic Wonderland into the student mecca it was always meant to be. I agree with warblersrule that the new Duke Forward campaign should continue to bolser Duke’s faculty which slightly trails some schools that Duke is considered more prestigious than (Cornell and U of Michigan).</p>
<p>Overall, at least until participation in Greek Life starts falling significantly or until Coach K retires, basketball and social life will continue to differentiate Duke from other top 10 schools. The new interdisciplinary focus on education that Duke’s administration is trying to pitch as a competitive advantage is a nice addition as well. DukeEngage has really helped this vision turn into reality.</p>
<p>My real worry is about Duke’s commitments in China with the Kunshan campus. Its true that Duke’s international reputation is somewhat lacking but there are obviously a lot of risks involved in maintaing an academic presence in the land of “currency manipulators” aka China. This investment could either prove to be a great boon for Duke or money down a sinkhole. We shall see what happens.</p>
<p>I think the future is bright for this university. Our endowment and graduate faculty strength should move into the top 10 in the next decade to match our undergraduate student body strength and professional school reputation.</p>