Milestones
DKU receives nearly 12,000 undergraduate applications from 144 countries, an increase of about 20 percent from last year and setting a new record for the third consecutive year.
DKU’s Institute for Global Higher Education celebrated its official launch in China. The institute is dedicated to advancing interdisciplinary education and innovative research, building a collaborative network connecting China, the United States and Africa, and contributing to global education innovation.
DKU welcomes its largest undergraduate class, up 20 percent from the previous year’s 500 and more than double its inaugural undergraduate class in 2018. About 390 are from China and 210 are international, a 40 percent increase over last year’s 150 international students.
DKU has opened its astronomical observatory, marking a major step forward in the university’s academic and extracurricular development. The Duke Kunshan Observatory (DKO) will support teaching, student research projects, and astronomy-related campus activities, as well as community outreach in Kunshan.
DKU was officially awarded the LEED Operations and Maintenance (O+M) certification, becoming the first university in mainland China to receive dual LEED certifications in both Building Design and Construction (BD+C) and Operations and Maintenance (O+M).
John Quelch is appointed executive vice chancellor of Duke Kunshan.
A record number of nearly 10,000 applicants apply for Duke Kunshan’s Class of 2028.
Duke Kunshan welcomes its largest undergraduate class, up 25 percent from the previous year and doubling the size of its 2018 inaugural undergraduate class. The cohort includes about 350 Chinese students and 150 international students, a 50 percent increase from the previous year.
Duke Kunshan and Jiangsu’s Foreign Affairs Office co-host the Collegiate Immersion Bootcamp, bringing together 90 students and teachers from eight top U.S. universities for a weeklong cultural exchange in Jiangsu and Shanghai.
September 2024 – Duke Kunshan earns an overall five-star rating in the QS Stars rating system. The university also receives five-star ratings in five key categories: teaching, facilities, employability, academic development, and global engagement.
Duke Kunshan inaugurates the Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory for Smart Diagnosis and Treatment of Lung Cancer.
Delegations from Duke Kunshan, Wuhan University, and Kunshan City meet at Duke University for the DKU Board of Trustees fall meeting. The board approves increasing DKU’s annual incoming undergraduate class size to 550 students and authorizes DKU and its partners to begin formal discussions on the current operational and financial support agreement.
The first buildings of the Phase 2 construction project open. The expansion more than doubles the campus footprint and represents a key milestone in Duke Kunshan’s development as a world-class educational and research institution.
Leaders of the founding partners gather alongside the DKU community to celebrate the university’s 10th anniversary.
Yaolin Liu is sworn in as the new chancellor of Duke Kunshan, succeeding Youmei Feng.
Duke Kunshan celebrates the graduation of its inaugural undergraduate class. Of the 234 graduates, 82 percent pursue graduate studies at top universities, 15 percent enter the workforce, and others engage in volunteering and entrepreneurship. Six students earn prestigious scholarships, including Rhodes, Schwarzman, Yenching, the U.S. National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, and Erasmus Mundus.
Duke Kunshan teams up with Duke-NUS Medical School to offer the Duke Kunshan–Duke-NUS Medicine Pathway for students, training them to become the next generation of doctors, policymakers, and researchers.
Duke Kunshan and its ongoing development are included in the “Overall Plan for the Construction of Hongqiao International Open Hub” and the “14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development of Jiangsu Province and Outline of Long-term Goals for 2035.”
Working with Duke University, Duke Kunshan becomes one of the world’s first universities to transition its courses online—achieving this in just three weeks in response to COVID-19.
Al Bloom is appointed executive vice chancellor, succeeding Denis Simon.
A groundbreaking ceremony is held to launch phase two construction of the campus. In attendance are senior representatives from Duke University, Wuhan University, Suzhou and Kunshan. The Innovation Building also officially opens, marking the end of phase one construction.
The master of electrical and computer engineering program welcomes its inaugural class.
Blue Oasis, the university’s multipurpose student center, opens at Dayu Bay, just south of campus.
The Ministry of Education approves Duke Kunshan’s application for seven new undergraduate majors, taking the total to 15.
The university establishes the China Innovation Research and Training Center.
Duke Kunshan welcomes its inaugural undergraduate class of 262 students. The university also launches a master of engineering in electrical and computer engineering.
Youmei Feng is sworn in as the new chancellor of Duke Kunshan, succeeding Liu Jingnan.
The Chongzhi Zu Center for Mathematics and Computational Sciences is established.
Duke Kunshan’s establishes the Computational Imaging Research Lab.
China’s Ministry of Education approves Duke Kunshan’s application to offer eight undergraduate majors.
The university establishes its Data Science Research Center and the Institute of Applied Physical Sciences and Engineering.
The international master of environmental policy (iMEP) program welcomes its inaugural class.
The Humanities Research Center and the Center for the Study of Contemporary China are established.
The international master of environmental policy (iMEP) program is launched.
Duke Kunshan becomes the first Chinese university campus to be certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.
The inaugural classes in the medical physics and global health programs graduate. The university launches its Environmental Research Center.
The university launches the Regional Ozone Sino-U.S. Collaborative Research Center with the government of Jiangsu province, which administers Kunshan, as well as the PRCEE-Duke Kunshan Joint Laboratory on Quantitative Environmental Policy Analysis in partnership with the Ministry of Environmental Protection’s Policy Research Center for Environment and Economy.
Duke University’s Board of Trustees approves the establishment of a four-year undergraduate liberal arts degree program at Duke Kunshan.
Duke Kunshan hosts the 2015 Duke International Finance Forum, an event co-organized with Fuqua School of Business and Duke Law School.
The MMS program holds a graduation ceremony for its inaugural class.
Denis Simon is appointed executive vice chancellor following the retirement of Mary Brown Bullock.
Duke Kunshan’s Education Development Foundation holds its first board meeting.
Duke Kunshan’s Advisory Board is established. It holds its first meeting the following May in Beijing.
The university’s master of management studies program (MMS) is launched, with classes initially held on Duke’s campus in Durham, North Carolina.
Duke Kunshan welcomes its first students in the MMS, M.Sc. in global health and M.Sc. in medical physics programs, as well as students taking part in the undergraduate Global Learning Semester program.
The WHU-Duke Research Institute is established at Duke Kunshan.
China’s Ministry of Education grants final approval to Duke Kunshan University.
Duke Kunshan’s Global Health Research Center is established.
The university’s Board of Trustees holds its first meeting at Wuhan University.
The joint-venture university is registered as a legal entity.
China’s Ministry of Education grants preliminary approval for the creation of Duke Kunshan University. The unveiling ceremony is held in December.
Jingnan Liu becomes the first chancellor of Duke Kunshan. Mary Brown Bullock is appointed executive vice chancellor.
Duke University and Wuhan University sign a statement on cooperation principles, establishing Duke Kunshan as a joint-venture between the two institutions.
Duke University signs a cooperation agreement with the Kunshan government to establish Duke Kunshan University. A groundbreaking ceremony is held at the site of the new campus, attended by the then-president of Duke University and the leader of Kunshan.