PRATT Development News

  • July 13, 2009

    Pratt Board of Visitor Chair J. Steve Simon Dies

    Durham, NC -- J. Stephen Simon, chair of the Board of Visitors for the Pratt School of Engineering and a former director and senior vice president of Exxon Mobil Corporation, passed away unexpectedly at his home in Dallas, Texas, on Wednesday, July 8, at age 66. Simon had a distinguished career of more than 40 years with the corporation. During this time he held a series of increasingly senior roles, culminating in his election to the ...
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  • October 1, 2004

    New Addition, Promotion to Pratt's Development Office

    Christopher Clarke is joining Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering as the associate dean for development and principal giving, Dean Kristina M. Johnson announced Thursday. Clarke comes to Duke from Purdue University where he was director of development and leadership gifts for the School of Mechanical Engineering. "We are very fortunate to have Chris Clarke join Pratt. He will help our school to continue the momentum we built during the very successful Campaign for Duke by focusing ...
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  • March 1, 2004

    Pratt Honors Donors; Celebrates Campaign for Duke

    The Pratt School of Engineering Feb. 27-28 celebrated the successes of its eight-year Campaign for Duke and honored some of the philanthropists whose generosity made it possible to nearly triple the school's teaching and research space, increase its faculty by 30 percent and set the stage for a 20 percent addition to its undergraduate student body. In all, the school raised $210.2 million since the start of the fund-raising drive in 1996, topping its goal by ...
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  • March 1, 2004

    Pratt Honors Donors; Celebrates Campaign for Duke

    The Pratt School of Engineering Feb. 27-28 celebrated the successes of its eight-year Campaign for Duke and honored some of the philanthropists whose generosity made it possible to nearly triple the school's teaching and research space, increase its faculty by 30 percent and set the stage for a 20 percent addition to its undergraduate student body. In all, the school raised $210.2 million since the start of the fund-raising drive in 1996, topping its goal by ...
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  • January 1, 2004

    Gift to Fund Joint Professorship at Pratt and Nicholas School of the Environment

    A $2.3 million gift by Randy K. Repass, chairman of West Marine Inc., and his wife, Sally-Christine Rodgers, will fund a joint professorship in marine conservation technology at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences and in the Pratt School of Engineering. The gift also will enable the construction of Duke's first totally "green" building at the Duke Marine Laboratory in Beaufort, President Nannerl O. Keohane announced in December. A total of $1.3 million of ...
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  • January 1, 2004

    Gift to Fund Joint Professorship at Pratt and Nicholas School of the Environment

    A $2.3 million gift by Randy K. Repass, chairman of West Marine Inc., and his wife, Sally-Christine Rodgers, will fund a joint professorship in marine conservation technology at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences and in the Pratt School of Engineering. The gift also will enable the construction of Duke's first totally "green" building at the Duke Marine Laboratory in Beaufort, President Nannerl O. Keohane announced in December. A total of $1.3 million of ...
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  • December 16, 2003

    Gift to Endow Joint Professorship; Help Fund New Marine Lab Building

    A $2.3 million gift by Randy K. Repass, chairman of West Marine Inc., and his wife, Sally-Christine Rodgers, will fund a joint professorship in marine conservation technology in the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences and in the Pratt School of Engineering. The gift also will enable the construction of Duke University's first totally "green" building at the Duke Marine Laboratory in Beaufort, President Nannerl O. Keohane announced Monday. A total of $1.3 million of ...
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  • December 1, 2003

    Friendly Competition Makes Annual Phonathon a Success

    Seventy-five students donated three evenings to kick off this year's annual fund campaign with a successful phonathon. The student callers, made up of Pratt engineers and two Trinity students, secured 972 pledges for a total of $172,000 in funding for the school. "I think this was one of our most successful phonathons in recent years," said Pam Hanson, Pratt's director of young alumni and events. The phonathon is primarily a student organized fund-raising activity, coordinated by a ...
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  • December 1, 2003

    Friendly Competition Makes Annual Phonathon a Success

    Seventy-five students donated three evenings to kick off this year's annual fund campaign with a successful phonathon. The student callers, made up of Pratt engineers and two Trinity students, secured 972 pledges for a total of $172,000 in funding for the school. "I think this was one of our most successful phonathons in recent years," said Pam Hanson, Pratt's director of young alumni and events. The phonathon is primarily a student organized fund-raising activity, coordinated by a ...
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  • June 1, 2003

    Jerry Hudson, Pratt Alumnus and Supporter, Dies in Alabama

    Fitzgerald S. "Jerry" Hudson, former chairman of the Duke board of trustees and for whom Pratt School of Engineering's oldest building was named, died of complications from a stroke May 9 in Montgomery, Ala. He was 78. As trustee chairman from 1988 to 1991, Hudson provided the leadership on several important university initiatives at a time of change for the university. Duke officials said his support was instrumental in the construction of the $80 million Levine ...
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  • June 1, 2003

    Jerry Hudson, Pratt Alumnus and Supporter, Dies in Alabama

    Fitzgerald S. "Jerry" Hudson, former chairman of the Duke board of trustees and for whom Pratt School of Engineering's oldest building was named, died of complications from a stroke May 9 in Montgomery, Ala. He was 78. As trustee chairman from 1988 to 1991, Hudson provided the leadership on several important university initiatives at a time of change for the university. Duke officials said his support was instrumental in the construction of the $80 million Levine ...
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  • April 1, 2003

    Nortel Official Tours CIEMAS Construction Site

    Greg Mumford, the chief technology officer for Nortel Networks, got an early look March 26 at the Fitzpatrick Center for Photonics and Communications Systems that his company is helping to support. Mumford toured the construction site for the Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences (CIEMAS), which will house the Fitzpatrick Center in the west building of the two-building, 322,000-square-foot complex. CIEMAS, the keystone of an unprecedented expansion of the Pratt School of Engineering, is on schedule to open in August 2004. The ...
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  • April 1, 2003

    Nortel Official Tours CIEMAS Construction Site

    Greg Mumford, the chief technology officer for Nortel Networks, got an early look March 26 at the Fitzpatrick Center for Photonics and Communications Systems that his company is helping to support. Mumford toured the construction site for the Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences (CIEMAS), which will house the Fitzpatrick Center in the west building of the two-building, 322,000-square-foot complex. CIEMAS, the keystone of an unprecedented expansion of the Pratt School of Engineering, is on schedule to open in August 2004. The ...
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  • April 1, 2003

    Chandran Family Giving $1 Million to Pratt School of Engineering

    Clarence Chandran and his late wife Beverley are giving Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering $1 million in separate gifts for the new Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences (CIEMAS) and for research in brain tumor imaging. "These gifts are a very significant contribution to our effort to make Pratt a global leader in engineering research and education," said Duke President Nannerl O. Keohane in announcing the gifts March 24. "We are deeply grateful to Clarence and Beverley for their ...
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  • April 1, 2003

    Chandran Family Giving $1 Million to Pratt School of Engineering

    Clarence Chandran and his late wife Beverley are giving Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering $1 million in separate gifts for the new Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences (CIEMAS) and for research in brain tumor imaging. "These gifts are a very significant contribution to our effort to make Pratt a global leader in engineering research and education," said Duke President Nannerl O. Keohane in announcing the gifts March 24. "We are deeply grateful to Clarence and Beverley for their ...
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  • March 25, 2003

    Chandran Family Giving $1 Million to Duke's Pratt School of Engineering

    DURHAM, N.C. -- Clarence Chandran and his late wife Beverley are giving Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering $1 million in separate gifts for the new Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences (CIEMAS) and for research in brain tumor imaging. "These gifts are a very significant contribution to our effort to make Pratt a global leader in engineering research and education," said Duke President Nannerl O. Keohane in announcing the gifts Monday. "We are ...
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  • February 1, 2003

    Duke Endowment Awards $5 Million to Pratt Center

    DURHAM, N.C. -- The Duke Endowment has awarded $5 million to Duke University to support programs of the Pratt School of Engineering's new Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences (CIEMAS). The grant was among $13.5 million in year-end gifts to the university for science, engineering and research initiatives as well as other projects. The gifts were announced Jan. 21. The largest grants will go toward programmatic support for Duke's new multidisciplinary science facility and CIEMAS, ...
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  • February 1, 2003

    Duke Endowment Awards $5 Million to Pratt Center

    DURHAM, N.C. -- The Duke Endowment has awarded $5 million to Duke University to support programs of the Pratt School of Engineering's new Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences (CIEMAS). The grant was among $13.5 million in year-end gifts to the university for science, engineering and research initiatives as well as other projects. The gifts were announced Jan. 21. The largest grants will go toward programmatic support for Duke's new multidisciplinary science facility and CIEMAS, ...
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  • February 1, 2003

    Duke Reaches Fund-Raising Goal; Pratt Tops $200 Million

    Duke University's Campaign for Duke, which began seven years ago, surpassed its $2 billion fund-raising goal in January with 11 months to go. The Pratt School of Engineering reached its goal of $170 million last June and has now raised more than $200 million. "Although the Campaign for Duke has almost a year to run and several crucial priorities to fund, it has already provided strong support for Duke's most important goals and visions for the future," said university President Nannerl O. ...
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  • February 1, 2003

    Duke Reaches Fund-Raising Goal; Pratt Tops $200 Million

    Duke University's Campaign for Duke, which began seven years ago, surpassed its $2 billion fund-raising goal in January with 11 months to go. The Pratt School of Engineering reached its goal of $170 million last June and has now raised more than $200 million. "Although the Campaign for Duke has almost a year to run and several crucial priorities to fund, it has already provided strong support for Duke's most important goals and visions for the future," said university President Nannerl O. ...
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  • January 22, 2003

    The Duke Endowment Awards $5 Million to Pratt Engineering Center

    DURHAM, N.C. -- The Duke Endowment has awarded $5 million to Duke University to support programs of the Pratt School of Engineering's new Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences (CIEMAS). The grant was among $13.5 million in year-end gifts to the university for science, engineering and research initiatives as well as other projects. The gifts were announced Jan. 21. The largest grants will go toward programmatic support for Duke's new multidisciplinary science facility and CIEMAS, ...
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  • January 1, 2003

    Parents Weekend Picnic

    More than 600 parents, students and faculty members gathered in our "backyard" between Teer Engineering Library and the Levine Science Research Center Saturday October 25 for the annual Parents Weekend BBQ. Freshly prepared hush puppies, fried chicken and pulled pork fed the hungry masses. "The food was excellent, the weather cooperated and the conversation was great," said Pratt Dean Kristina Johnson. Pratt parents mingled with the dean, department chairs and faculty and Pratt staff to learn more ...
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  • January 1, 2003

    Parents Weekend Picnic

    More than 600 parents, students and faculty members gathered in our "backyard" between Teer Engineering Library and the Levine Science Research Center Saturday October 25 for the annual Parents Weekend BBQ. Freshly prepared hush puppies, fried chicken and pulled pork fed the hungry masses. "The food was excellent, the weather cooperated and the conversation was great," said Pratt Dean Kristina Johnson. Pratt parents mingled with the dean, department chairs and faculty and Pratt staff to learn more ...
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  • January 1, 2003

    Pratt Board of Visitors Focuses on CIEMAS

    Also see Role of BOV The Pratt School of Engineering's Board of Visitors held its annual fall meeting Oct. 17-18 and focused much of its attention on the Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences (CIEMAS) set to open next summer. Joseph H. Jarboe, chair of the board's Building/Infrastructure Committee, reported that the $97 million complex continued on budget and on schedule with the expectation that it will be ready for occupancy a month or so ...
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  • January 1, 2003

    Pratt Board of Visitors Focuses on CIEMAS

    Also see Role of BOV The Pratt School of Engineering's Board of Visitors held its annual fall meeting Oct. 17-18 and focused much of its attention on the Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences (CIEMAS) set to open next summer. Joseph H. Jarboe, chair of the board's Building/Infrastructure Committee, reported that the $97 million complex continued on budget and on schedule with the expectation that it will be ready for occupancy a month or so ...
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  • January 1, 2003

    Role of Pratt's Board of Visitors

    By Edward M. ReefeChair, Pratt Board of Visitors With its beginning more than two decades ago, the Board of Visitors at the Pratt School of Engineering has long served in an advisory role to the dean on matters of fundraising, academic curriculum, and student life. Like many of the university's other Boards of Visitors, the Pratt Board's role and composition has evolved and expanded over the years as needs arose. Today the board is comprised of ...
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  • January 1, 2003

    Role of Pratt's Board of Visitors

    By Edward M. ReefeChair, Pratt Board of Visitors With its beginning more than two decades ago, the Board of Visitors at the Pratt School of Engineering has long served in an advisory role to the dean on matters of fundraising, academic curriculum, and student life. Like many of the university's other Boards of Visitors, the Pratt Board's role and composition has evolved and expanded over the years as needs arose. Today the board is comprised of ...
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  • December 1, 2002

    Pratt Climbs to 20th in Magazine Rankings

    The September issue of the U.S. News and World Report listed Duke's Pratt School of Engineering as tied for No. 20 in its ratings of the best undergraduate engineering programs in doctoral universities nationwide. That's up four notches from last year. This year Pratt tied with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Rice, University of California in Los Angeles and the University of Washington. Last year, Pratt was tied for 24th with the University of Maryland and the ...
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  • December 1, 2002

    Pratt Climbs to 20th in Magazine Rankings

    The September issue of the U.S. News and World Report listed Duke's Pratt School of Engineering as tied for No. 20 in its ratings of the best undergraduate engineering programs in doctoral universities nationwide. That's up four notches from last year. This year Pratt tied with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Rice, University of California in Los Angeles and the University of Washington. Last year, Pratt was tied for 24th with the University of Maryland and the ...
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  • November 2, 2002

    Duke Celebrates the Life of Edmund T. Pratt Jr.

    When 17-year-old Edmund T. Pratt Jr. arrived on campus 58 years ago and first saw Duke Chapel, he said he thought he was going to heaven. University leaders, faculty, students and family members gathered in the towering Gothic church Nov. 1 and celebrated the life of the retired businessman and philanthropist who died in September. "Duke University is a better and more renowned institution because of his example, his stewardship, his love and his gifts," said ...
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  • October 31, 2002

    Life Of Ed Pratt To Be Celebrated Nov. 1 In Duke Chapel

    DURHAM, N.C -- A public celebration of the life of Edmund T. Pratt Jr. will be held at 1 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1, in Duke University Chapel. The retired chairman and chief executive officer of Pfizer Inc., for whom Duke's Pratt School of Engineering is named, died of cancer Sept. 5 at the age of 75. Duke President Nannerl O. Keohane, Pratt Dean Kristina M. Johnson, university Trustee Peter M. Nicholas and Pratt student Kyle ...
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  • September 7, 2002

    Duke Benefactor Edmund T. Pratt Jr. Dies

    DURHAM, N.C. -- Edmund T. Pratt Jr., the retired chairman and chief executive officer of Pfizer Inc. for whom Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering is named, died of cancer at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City on Thursday. He was 75. "Ed Pratt was a wonderful person, gracious and generous, humble and someone who really enjoyed life," said Pratt School Dean Kristina Johnson. "He had an easy rapport with our students, telling them ...
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  • September 1, 2002

    CIEMAS On Time and On Budget

    The 322,000-square-foot Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences is now more than 3 months in the making. Pratt School officials say the $97 million West Campus building complex is "on-time and on-budget." 0 "Favorable local building economics and weather have assisted in keeping the project on budget and on time for its scheduled Aug. 15, 2004 completion," said John Ferguson, associate dean for finance and administration at Duke's Pratt School of Engineering. Groundbreaking began on CIEMAS ...
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  • September 1, 2002

    CIEMAS On Time and On Budget

    The 322,000-square-foot Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences is now more than 3 months in the making. Pratt School officials say the $97 million West Campus building complex is "on-time and on-budget." 0 "Favorable local building economics and weather have assisted in keeping the project on budget and on time for its scheduled Aug. 15, 2004 completion," said John Ferguson, associate dean for finance and administration at Duke's Pratt School of Engineering. Groundbreaking began on CIEMAS ...
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  • September 1, 2002

    Pratt Meets Fund-Raising Goal

    The Pratt School of Engineering closed out the past fiscal year June 30 by meeting its $170 million goal in The Campaign for Duke, which continues through Dec. 31, 2003. "Our success brings us closer to our ambition of making the Pratt School a recognized leader in engineering teaching and research," said Dean Kristina Johnson. But she said much work remains to be done. "The campaign continues, and we still have to raise funds to complete CIEMAS ...
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  • September 1, 2002

    Pratt Meets Fund-Raising Goal

    The Pratt School of Engineering closed out the past fiscal year June 30 by meeting its $170 million goal in The Campaign for Duke, which continues through Dec. 31, 2003. "Our success brings us closer to our ambition of making the Pratt School a recognized leader in engineering teaching and research," said Dean Kristina Johnson. But she said much work remains to be done. "The campaign continues, and we still have to raise funds to complete CIEMAS ...
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  • April 25, 2002

    Elizabeth Dickinson Gives $1.125 Million for New Duke Engineering Center

    ELIZABETH DICKINSON GIVES $1.125 MILLION FOR NEW DUKE ENGINEERING CENTER DURHAM, N.C. -- Elizabeth D. Dickinson, a Duke alumna and civic volunteer in Michigan, has given $1.125 million to the university's Pratt School of Engineering for a teaching and research laboratory to focus on developing new ways of presenting and visualizing information, Duke President Nannerl O. Keohane announced Wednesday. The Gary W. and Elizabeth D. Dickinson Visual Analysis Center will be part of the school's new $97 million ...
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  • April 1, 2002

    Technology Investory Larry Lenihan Gives $1.25 million to Pratt School of Engineering

    DURHAM, N.C. - Alumnus Lawrence D. Lenihan Jr., managing director of a technology and healthcare investment company, is giving $1.25 million to Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering for a special laboratory where undergraduates can brainstorm, design and develop innovative projects. To be named the Lawrence D. Lenihan Jr. Learning Center, the lab will occupy more than 3,000 square feet in a new two-wing engineering building, tentatively named the Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medical and Applied ...
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  • April 1, 2002

    Technology Investory Larry Lenihan Gives $1.25 million to Pratt School of Engineering

    DURHAM, N.C. - Alumnus Lawrence D. Lenihan Jr., managing director of a technology and healthcare investment company, is giving $1.25 million to Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering for a special laboratory where undergraduates can brainstorm, design and develop innovative projects. To be named the Lawrence D. Lenihan Jr. Learning Center, the lab will occupy more than 3,000 square feet in a new two-wing engineering building, tentatively named the Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medical and Applied ...
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  • February 23, 2002

    Duke Engineering Building Takes Step on the Road to Construction

    DURHAM, N.C. - A Duke University Board of Trustees committee Friday approved the design of a $97 million West Campus building complex that will more than double the Pratt School of Engineering's teaching and laboratory space and bridge the boundaries between research disciplines. The 320,000-square-foot structure, tentatively called the Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering and Applied Sciences (CIEAS), consists of west and east wings joined by a central court. It will be located at the north end of ...
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  • December 13, 2000

    $25 Million Gift to Launch Center for Advanced Photonics and Communications Systems at Duke

    $50 MILLION GIFT TO LAUNCH CENTERS FOR ADVANCED PHOTONICS AND COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS AT STANFORD AND DUKE DURHAM, N.C.-- High-tech entrepreneur Michael J. Fitzpatrick and his wife, Patty, will donate $25 million each to Duke and Stanford universities to establish new centers for advanced photonics, the presidents of both institutions announced Dec. 13, 2000. Engineers say photonics, a technology that melds light with electronics, is at a stage of development similar to where electronics was in the 1950s. ...
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  • December 13, 2000

    $25 Million Gift to Launch Center for Advanced Photonics and Communications Systems at Duke

    $50 MILLION GIFT TO LAUNCH CENTERS FOR ADVANCED PHOTONICS AND COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS AT STANFORD AND DUKE DURHAM, N.C.-- High-tech entrepreneur Michael J. Fitzpatrick and his wife, Patty, will donate $25 million each to Duke and Stanford universities to establish new centers for advanced photonics, the presidents of both institutions announced Dec. 13, 2000. Engineers say photonics, a technology that melds light with electronics, is at a stage of development similar to where electronics was in the 1950s. ...
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  • October 8, 2000

    Duke Plans $77 Million Engineering Center

    DURHAM, N.C. -- The Duke University Board of Trustees Saturday began the approval process for a $77 million Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering and Applied Sciences that would more than triple research, teaching, office and conference space at the Pratt School of Engineering. The trustees also authorized the start of planning for a $16 million addition to the Divinity School that would be built in a high-profile site just north of Duke Chapel, and approved the design ...
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  • April 30, 2000

    $7 Million Gift to Support Chairs, Fellowships and Student Aid For Pratt School of Engineering

    DURHAM, N.C. - The son of former Duke University engineering professor William Henry "Nick" Gardner Jr. is giving $7 million in his father's honor to Duke's Pratt School of Engineering, President Nannerl O. Keohane announced Saturday. Alston Gardner of Atlanta made the gift to endow two professorships and eight graduate fellowships, all named for his father. The gift, which also will provide undergraduate financial aid, was announced at a surprise recognition event for Nick Gardner. The elder ...
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  • December 17, 1999

    Investment Manager Jeffrey Vinik Gives $5 Million to Duke Engineering School

    DURHAM, N.C. - Duke University engineering alumnus and investment portfolio manager Jeffrey N. Vinik and his wife, Penny, are giving $5 million to Duke's Pratt School of Engineering to expand and improve the school's facilities, President Nannerl O. Keohane announced Thursday. Vinik, former manager of the Fidelity Magellan Fund, is the founder of Boston-based Vinik Asset Management, a $3 billion investment partnership. "Jeff is known for his ambitious, sound investments. This particular investment's impact will be very ...
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  • October 4, 1999

    Edmund T. Pratt Jr. Gives Duke University $35 Million to Endow School of Engineering

    DURHAM, N.C. -- Edmund T. Pratt Jr., the retired chairman and chief executive officer of Pfizer Inc., is giving $35 million to endow the Duke University School of Engineering, which will be named in his honor, university president Nannerl O. Keohane announced Sunday. "What better thing to do with the resources one has than to help a great university to become even greater," Pratt said from his home in Port Washington, N.Y. The gift is the second ...
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    Questions about this page? Contact:

    Deborah Hill, Director of Communications, 415 Teer Engineering Building, 919-660-8403, dahill@duke.edu