Affording Opportunity
Joe Payne T'87, B'91 and his brother, John T'90, received financial aid as Duke students.
Read more. (pdf)
Matt Williams T'09 is a starting catcher on the baseball team.
Read more. (pdf)
Jessica Wood G'10 has studied piano since childhood.
Read more. (pdf)
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The Dollar-for-Dollar Match
More than $33 million is still available to match new gifts to financial aid endowment dollar-for-dollar.
What gifts qualify?
• $100,000+ gifts establishing new, unrestricted financial aid endowments for undergraduates (Most matching money has been claimed for financial aid endowments that support graduate and professional school students and undergraduate athletes.)
• $250,000+ gifts establishing new, restricted financial aid endowments for undergraduates (for example, a scholarship that gives preference to English majors or students from a particular geographic area)
• $100,000+ gifts to existing financial aid endowments
The maximum match available for any donor is $1 million.
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Financial Aid Director to Retire
James Belvin Jr., the university's financial aid director for 32 years and a national leader in the student-assistance field, will retire later this year. During his tenure, he was responsible for administering financial support that helped more than 30,000 students attend Duke. "I got to be the conduit for Duke's generosity," he said.
Read the full story.
Most First-Year Applications Ever
More than 20,250 hopefuls have applied for admission to the Fall 2008 entering class – the largest number in Duke's history. They will compete for about 1,665 places for first-year students. New financial aid policies may have encouraged more students to apply, said Christoph Guttentag, the dean of undergraduate admissions.
Read the full story.
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We have ten months left in Duke's Financial Aid Initiative, and while our successes are many, we still have work to do. The largest component of our goal is endowment for need-based undergraduate aid, and here is where we need to find many more supporters by December 31. About 40 percent of Duke undergraduates rely on need-based aid. Duke just wouldn't be the same without these extraordinary students.
Thanks to all of our generous supporters and volunteers, and thanks to each of you who may be considering a gift to financial aid endowment.
| Sally Dalton Robinson W’55 |
G. Richard Wagoner, Jr. T’75 |
| Co-Chairs, Duke’s Financial Aid Initiative |
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Why Make Your Gift by March 31?
If you're considering a new scholarship gift or need to make a payment toward an existing commitment, now is a great time to send in your payment.
Why? The Financial Aid Initiative Challenge matches payments once each calendar year, and the cutoff for a 2008 match is March 31. If your gift qualifies for a dollar-for-dollar match, make your contribution now so that your scholarship fund can benefit from the matching funds right away.
To arrange a stock transfer, contact Blossom Gardner at (919) 684-2338, or fill out our online form. You can also find mailing addresses and information about other methods of giving.
For questions about the initiative, contact Susan Ross, director of financial aid development, at (919) 681-0465 or susan.ross@dev.duke.edu.
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School-by-School Update
Below is an update on commitments received for each component of the overall $300 million goal.
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Goal |
Commitments to Date |
| Undergraduates |
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| Need-Based Aid |
$230 |
$158.5 |
| Athletic Scholarships |
$15 |
$18.3 |
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| Unclaimed Challenge Funds for Undergraduate Need-Based Aid |
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$32.0 |
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| Graduate and Professional Students |
|
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| Divinity School |
$10 |
$10.2 |
| Fuqua School of Business |
$4 |
$6.6 |
| Graduate School |
$10 |
$8.8 |
| Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences |
$5 |
$5.0 |
| School of Law |
$10 |
$9.4 |
| School of Medicine |
$12 |
$11.5 |
| School of Nursing |
$4 |
$3.3 |
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| Unclaimed Challenge Funds for Graduate and Professional Student Aid |
|
$1.5 |
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| Total (as of 3/16/08) |
$300 |
$265 |
| in millions |
In 2005, Duke launched an effort to raise $300 million in financial aid endowment. By the close of 2007, Duke was able to announce a series of enhancements that will benefit virtually all undergraduate need-based aid recipients. But these enhancements – and the success of the entire initiative – depend on Duke's ability to reach its fund-raising targets by the end of 2008.
Learn more about the initiative and how it is making a difference for Duke students.
Endowment for International Students
Duke University trustee Bruce Karsh and his wife Martha will give the school $20 million in permanent endowment to support undergraduate students from other countries, President Richard H. Brodhead announced. This gift is the largest donation devoted to the needs of international undergraduates in Duke's history.
Most of the gift, $15 million, will be used to establish an endowment that provides need-based scholarship grants to international undergraduates. The balance of the gift will be used to enhance the experience of international students who receive aid.
"In the past, while we have had some aid for international undergraduates, we have been open mainly to those who could afford Duke," said Brodhead. "We will now be able to admit many more who require financial aid, enriching our community and advancing Duke's global connectivity." Read the full story.
Other Recent Gifts
• The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, a longtime supporter of Duke University, made a gift of $125,000 to establish a new undergraduate scholarship at Duke. This contribution will be matched with $125,000 from the Financial Aid Initiative Challenge Fund. "By establishing this scholarship, we are proud to support Duke's policy of ensuring that every eligible student who is admitted to Duke can afford to attend," said the foundation's chairman Mary Duke Trent Jones. She and the other board members surprised foundation executive director Douglas Zinn T'79 by naming the scholarship fund in his honor.
• Robert Davies L'61 of Sarasota, Florida, pledged $100,000 to establish a scholarship for law students, $50,000 of it through a tax-wise IRA rollover transfer. This gift qualifies for a dollar-for-dollar match from the Financial Aid Initiative Challenge.
• Mark Florian T'80 and Lynne Florian of Darien, Connecticut, committed $500,000 to endow a named scholarship for undergraduates majoring in public policy. Their gift is being matched dollar-for-dollar, so the scholarship will have a starting value of $1,000,000.
• Richard Jones T’73 and Patricia Jones N’74 of Jacksonville, Florida, and their children, Richard Jr. T’05, Kathryn T’08, and Matthew T’09, have committed $250,000 to the Jones Family Scholarship Fund. This gift qualifies for a dollar-for-dollar match from the Financial Aid Initiative Challenge.
• Elizabeth N. “Bebe” Whitaker W’61 of Atlanta, Georgia, gave $100,000 to add to the Elizabeth Whitaker Scholarship Fund. This gift qualifies for a dollar-for-dollar match from the Financial Aid Initiative Challenge.
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