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Duke Families,

Welcome to the Duke community! We are incredibly excited for the incoming Class of 2026 and to have you as part of our community. Each year we are thrilled to welcome your students to Duke University. Their energy and passion inspire our community. Much of our newsletter information will be shared on our social media platforms; however, we do encourage you to read each edition for additional insights, context, and official University response.

Our team is here to provide support and services to all undergraduate parents and families. Office goals to support our Duke families include opportunities for you to Learn, Engage, and Connect with the University. These goals are accomplished by providing comprehensive programming, communication, advocacy, and peer-to-peer outreach.

1. Duke students have the edge on Handshake.

Handshake is unique because all the opportunities students see posted are specifically for Duke students, from employers actively recruiting at Duke! In fact, it’s the only place that directly connects Duke students, and employers together. On other sites, it may feel like an application is lost in the crowd. But on Handshake, you can be confident knowing the employers are looking for students like yours.

2. Recruiters want to talk to Duke students.

The employers on Handshake are messaging students like yours every day with event invites, interview requests, and new job opportunities. Last year, recruiters sent more than 16 million messages, giving students on Handshake a personal connection to the top companies hiring at their school.

3. Find jobs that are right for an individual.

Over the last two years as a community Duke had had to redefine community. How do we rebuild a pivotal experience virtually? How do we have difficult dialogues when we are not sitting across a table from one another?

The following is a transcript for the February 2022 family podcast. Listen to this month's podcast here.

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Sarabesh Natarajan is a senior studying chemistry in the Trinity College of Arts and Science from Charlotte, North Carolina. He has served as a Resident Assistant (RA) on East Campus for three years. Sarabesh provided New Student and Family Programs with some insight on a day in the life of an RA: 

Q: In what ways do you intentionally make efforts to support student success through your role as a Resident Advisor (RA)?  
A: As a senior, I’m in a position where I can reflect on my time at Duke and give advice to my freshman residents on how to have a successful and fun college career. And that’s what I do! I try to make myself available to foster these conversations, whether it be through reminding them that I’m here for them or through hosting casual events in the dorm that bring me and them together.

Introduced in Fall 2020, the Academic Guides program is a Duke Endowment funded initiative of the Office of Undergraduate Education. Members of this team create evidence-based, holistic approaches to student engagement that support students’ academic and emotional well-being and build resilience. By placing the Academic Guides’ offices in the residence halls on West Campus, the program seeks to normalize help-seeking and expand access to available academic services. 

Greetings Duke Families!

My name is Jordan Hale, and I am honored to serve as Director of New Student and Family Programs for Duke University. As I step into this role, I have a lot of people to thank. I want to start by thanking Clay Adams who has been promoted to Vice Dean of Students. Do not worry, Clay has not gone far (he still oversees our entire unit), and I am grateful he entrusts our team to serve new students and all our families. I’d also like to thank our amazing team, Grace Sullivan Zirkle and Carina Carpenter, for their work. Since this summer, Grace and Carina have stepped into their roles and done incredible work to welcome students and families to Duke. Finally, as always, I have to thank members of the DPAC, specifically or emeritus parents Dana Dudley, Penny Fleming, and Beth Gabay. Thank you all for the insight and trust to work on this amazing team.

New Student & Family Programs sat down with Vice Provost of Student Affairs Mary Pat McMahon and Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Gary Bennett at the beginning of the school year to ask them about the semester ahead and what students and families can anticipate. Read their interview below.

What are you personally most excited about this fall semester?

Duke Families,

Welcome to the Duke community! We are incredibly excited for the incoming transfer class and to have you as part of our community. Each year we are thrilled to welcome your students to Duke University; their energy and passion inspire our community. Much of our newsletter information will be shared on our social media platforms; however, we do encourage you to read each edition for additional insights, context, and official University response.

Duke Families,

Welcome to the Duke community! We are incredibly excited for the incoming Class of 2025 and to have you as part of our community. Each year we are thrilled to welcome your students to Duke University; their energy and passion inspire our community. Much of our newsletter information will be shared on our social media platforms; however, we do encourage you to read each edition for additional insights, context, and official University response.