Get Immersed
Duke University has long been transforming the lives of students through the rigor of its academic program, but its newest co-curricular program for undergraduates, DukeEngage, is enabling students to translate knowledge into service to society in unprecedented numbers and ways. Under the auspices of the new Duke Center for Civic Engagement (DCCE) and funded by a grant of $15 million each from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Duke Endowment, DukeEngage is already changing lives—both on-campus and off.
The program was launched July 1, 2007 under the guidance of its inaugural director Dr. Eric Mlyn, formerly the director of the highly successful Robertson Scholars Program. DukeEngage funding will enable any eligible Duke undergraduate to partake in one immersive civic engagement opportunity over the course of a summer or semester away from Duke.
Any Duke undergraduate who has completed at least two semesters of classes is eligible for participation. DukeEngage will cover expenses (travel and living) associated with the immersive experience (a minimum of eight weeks is required). For students on need-based financial aid, Duke will also assume responsibility for the “summer earnings” requirement.
DukeEngage also has funding for faculty site exploration grants, which faculty will use to measure suitable DukeEngage civic engagement opportunities around the globe. Eleven faculty grants were awarded in 2007.
Students can serve in one of three ways: by participating in a Duke faculty and staff-sponsored or organized program; by participating in a program that Duke coordinates with an outside provider of student internships or volunteer work in the U.S. and/or abroad; by submitting a funding proposal for a unique internship experience of a student’s own creation.
The full launch of DukeEngage commenced in the summer of 2008 including more than two dozen group programs and 90 individual projects.
For in-depth information on DukeEngage's immersion programs, go here.