News and College Life

The historic doors on Merrifield Hall were removed and restored, and recently reinstalled. Fresh fingerprints have started to tarnish the brass.

Students take the stairs to class in the renovated Merrifield Hall. 

Having gathered and stacked snow into a solid working base, art students in a sculpture class work scraping, carving, and smoothing an angle figure.

Three students embrace in a group hug after seeing each other for the first time on the first day of classes of the 2025 spring semester, a vibrant mix of energy, renewal, and chilly excitement.

Faculty art show reception. 

Graduate-level nursing students conduct a simulated exam with a patient actor, honing their clinical skills and bedside manner in a realistic training environment.

Hope Boykin, dancer, choreographer, educator, and director, teaches a masterclass with Duke dance students at the Rubenstein Arts Center. Boykin, a Durham Native, recently showcased “States Of Hope,” a powerful, autobiographical work of dance-theater, for its hometown premiere at Reynolds Industries Theater.

Duke psychiatrist Holly Rogers leads a meditation session during the "Creating a Contemplative Community" Bass Connections seminar on Duke’s West Campus during a warm early February evening. Developed right here at Duke, Mindfulness Institute for Emerging Adults is an evidence-based program specifically designed for teaching mindfulness and meditation as a way to manage stress and reduce anxiety. Building on the work of the 2023-2024 Bass Connections team, this project team will develop and evaluate mindfulness-based programming at Duke to discover the impact of Contemplative and mindfulness-based programs (CMBPs) on cognitive functioning and mental health.

Brian Exum of Cary, left, who was born deaf due to an ear infection, signs with Duke first-year Sophie Shapiro during a Communication Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing meet-up event at Monuts in Durham. Shapiro is taking American Sign Language (ASL) II with instructor Kraig Klingenberg, who started teaching the new ASL classes at Duke this past Fall.

Students struggle for control as they fly down the sledding hill during the ASI Snow Day event in the UU plaza. The event featured a sledding hill, photobooth, hot chocolate, donuts, free beanies, and a snow play area.