In the 12 months since we launched Duke First, much has happened and yet, we are just getting started. Now is a good time to share what we have accomplished along with our priorities for the current academic year.
SINCE SEPTEMBER 2020
Infrastructure: We recruited 270 alums, invited members to join our Steering Committee, created a mission statement and formed an Executive Committee of 10 passionate volunteers who lead the work of our committees:
-
Career Support
-
Direct Aid to Students
-
Membership/Mission
-
Mentoring
-
Programming
-
Welcome to Duke
Mission Statement: Duke First is a community of First-Generation/Low-Income (FGLI) Duke alumni. We seek to support and advocate on behalf of FGLI students, empower and connect with each other, and celebrate the personal and professional accomplishments of the FGLI community.
Our Stakeholders
-
Alumni (primary)
-
Students (primary)
-
Students’ families
-
Duke Alumni Network
-
Duke administration
-
Broader first-generation alumni community
Engagement: We engaged with Duke’s FGLI community in several ways:
-
Members served on a “Working While First-Gen” panel through the Career Center.
-
We sent a letter welcoming admitted students who identified as FGLI.
-
We sent a letter congratulating our graduating seniors.
-
A Duke First representative spoke at the Duke LIFE (Low-Income/First-Generation Engagement) Virtual Commencement.
-
We met with some of our affinity groups (Duke Asian Alumni Alliance (DAAA), Duke Black Alumni (DBA), Duke University Hispanic/Latino Alumni Association (DUHLAA), and Duke LGBTQ+ Network).
-
We hosted two events during the 2021 Virtual Reunions.
PRIORITIES FOR THE FUTURE
Goals for the 2021/2022 Academic Year: Our Executive Committee set the following priorities to guide our work in our second year:
-
Broaden our reach to graduate and professional school students
-
Establish a solid foundation in all communities that we serve
-
Create a central hub (social media) for the FGLI community
-
Demonstrate our value; solicit student input/feedback
-
Create visibility and appeal among all students
-
Recruit more alumni members, volunteers, and leaders
-
Collaborate with peer schools
-
Build and strengthen ties to our campus partners
-
Offer targeted and meaningful programming
None of this could happen without the tremendous team of volunteers who come together to thoughtfully plan and execute these initiatives. We are so grateful for their time and talent. We are also deeply appreciative of your continued interest in our work and would love to hear from you, so please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions, suggestions, or would like to get involved.
Sincerely,
Jack Boyd ’85