May 14, 2009

The Chronicle THE INDEPENDENT DAILY AT DUKE UNIVERSITY

HU IiSDW, MI 1.2QQ9

OM-. 11l M)|{|

University bans travel

ilm

FAR. ISSI F

sI

elect Blue, OK budget

Swine flu threat forces

by

program changes

Emmeline Zhao THE CHRONICLE

Commencement speaker Oprah Winfrey, a world-renowned media mogul and television icon, used a diverse array of people, from Monica George—a woman who became infected with a flesh-eating

The Board of Trustees elected Dan Blue as chair and approved a $l.B billion budget for the 2009-2010 fiscal year at its meeting last week, the University announced Friday. Blue, Law ‘73, will be the Board’s first black chair when he assumes the position July 1. He currently serves as the covice chair of the Board of Trustees alongside Richard Wagoner, Trinity ‘75, a former General Motors chief executive officer. Wagoner was re-elected as vice chair Friday. A managing partner of the Blue, Stephens and Fellers law firm based in Raleigh and a member of the N.C House of Representatives, Blue formerly served as N.C. speaker of the house. Last week, the Wake County Democratic Party selected Blue to take the place of Democratic state Sen. Vernon Malone of Raleigh, who died in April. Blue will serve out the remainder of Malone’s term, which expires in 2010. “It will be a great transition for Duke,” said Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations.

6

SEE TRUSTEES ON PAGE 4

Lindsey Rupp THE CHRONICLE

by

As the new HINI swine flu virus spreads across the globe, Duke is taking extra precautions to ward off the epidemic. The International Travel Oversight Committee has added Mexico to its restricted regions list, forbidding undergraduates to travel to the country through Duke programs or funds and recommending that graduate students, faculty and staff refrain from unnecessary travel to Mexico. Duke in Mexico relocated its summer program to campus, aiming to instead engage students in Durham community service. DukeEngage’s program in Arizona will only send students on its scheduledweek in Mexico if the country is removed from the list. “As always, student safety is our topmost priority for all of our study abroad programs and ultimately, this decision was made to ensure that we were not putting student’s health in jeopardy,” Paul Paparella, assistant director of the Office of Study Abroad, wrote in an e-mail to Duke in Mexico

SEE MEXICO ON PAGE 5

\\|> |

Trustees

to Mexico

participants. MargaretRiley, associate dean and director ofStudy Abroad, was not available for comment Wednesday. The United States currently has at least 950 more documented cases of swine flu than Mexico, according to the World Health Organization. In a memo to the University and the health system from Dr. Victor Dzau, chancellor for health affairs and president and chief executive officer of Duke University Health System, wrote, “the collective understanding is that this strain behaves more like a typical seasonal flu.” Still, the University created the Web site “Preparing for Pandemic Flu” to showcase its response to the outbreak and provided hand sanitizer at commencement in addition to restricting travel. Gilbert Merkx, vice provost for international affairs and chair of ITOC, said the committee placed Mexico on the restricted regions list in response to recommendations from the World Health

|>

Commencement speaker Oprah Winfrey addresses graduates in Wallace Wade Stadium Sunday. Graduate WIN Bumpus,Trinity 'O9, is Winfrey's godson and the son ofher close friend Gayle King.

Oprah urges grads to find inspiration in hardships by

Julius Jones

ates

THE CHRONICLE

nual

The radiant faces of fresh graduates, their families, friends, faculty mentors and of course, Oprah—illuminated overcast skies to graduate the Class of 2009 Sunday. The rain ultimately stayed away from the festivities as President Richard Brodhead conferred degrees upon the gradu—

of nine schools during the 157th ancommencement exercises, held at

Wallace Wade Stadium.

SEE COMMENCEMENT ON PAGE

BOT approves Sanford transition to school by

Emmeline Zhao THE CHRONICLE

The Board of Trustees voted '

to

approve the transition of the

Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy to the Terry Sanford School of Public Policy, the University announced in a press release Saturday. The shift, effective July 1, will make Sanford Duke’s

10th school. “The creation of a new school is significant any time you do that in a university,” said Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations. “It brings Sanford and public policy to the same level as law, medicine, business, divinity—it’s at one level. It’s a statement that this is a very significant priority for the University and also a recognition of the quality of the program.” In becoming a school, Sanford will see an increase in the size of its faculty to accomplish one of its goals of “transforming student lives,” said Sanford Director Bruce Kuniholm, who will become dean of the school in July. In the last three years, the institute has increased the size ofits tenure track faculty by 50 percent, he added. The shift will also enable the school to carry out its strategic vision centered around global and international development and environmental, health and social policies, Kuniholm said.

Although faculty and research expansions are imminent, the school plans to retain a similar number of students, according to Saturday’s press release. With approximately 185 undergraduate and 85 graduate students receiving degrees every year, Sanford offers one of the country’s largest public policy programs. Despite Sanford’s new sanction as a separate school, incoming freshmen will not be required to submit a separate application to be enrolled as a public policy student. Students in the Trinity College ofArts and Sciences will still be able to declare the public policy studies major in the same way as they do now. And for public policy students, the school will offer new opportunities for interdisciplinary programs and “elevate the stature of their degrees,” Schoenfeld said. The change will enable Sanford to collaborate more easily with peer universities and engage directly in joint programs and hires, Kuniholm added. He noted that Sanford has already hired faculty members in conjunction with the Global Health Institute and the Nicholas School of the Environment and is looking to move toward partnerships with others, such as the Pratt School of Engineering. SEE SANFORD ON PAGE 3