Recent History: 1993-present
Duke University’s growth and academic focus have dramatically increased the university’s reputation as an academic and research institution in recent years. In 1993, Duke’s three-member team finished in first place in the prestigious William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, earning the title of the best collegiate undergraduate math team in the United States and Canada. Duke would repeat as champions again in 1996 and 2000. In nine out of the past ten years, Duke’s team has finished in the top three, the only school besides Harvard to do so. Since 1992, five Duke students have been named Putnam Fellows.
Construction continued on campus, with the 314,000-square-foot (29,200 m2) Levine Science Research Center (LSRC) opening in 1994 to house interdisciplinary research. Later that year, the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy relocated to a new building and new dorms opened on East Campus. In 1995, Peter M. Nicholas (’64), donated $20 million to the School of the Environment, which originated from the School of Forestry and the Duke Marine Lab. Also, James B. Duke’s daughter, Doris Duke, gave the university $10 million for research. The next year, recreational facilities received a major facelift, with the Keith and Brenda Brodie Recreational Center opening on East Campus, and a major overhaul of Wilson Recreation Center on West Campus in the works. Also in 1996, Robert Coleman (Ph.D. '65) won the Nobel Prize in Physics.
In 1998, Duke President Nan Keohane initiated a five-year $1.5 billion Campaign for Duke fundraising effort. Former President George H. W. Bush delivered the commencement address, following Jimmy Carter’s lead the year before. Edmund T. Pratt, Jr. ('47) endowed the Pratt School of Engineering with a $35 million gift in 1999. A year later, major plans for an overhaul of the residence life structure were approved. In the 2000s (decade), campus growth has shown no signs of slowing down (see Construction projects at Duke University). The Campaign for Duke ended in 2003 with $2.36 billion raised, making it the fifth largest campaign in the history of American higher education.
In the 2004 fiscal year, research expenditures surpassed $490 million, leading to a myriad of important breakthroughs. The Duke Global Health Research Building, one of four laboratories in the U.S. attempting to "develop new vaccines, drugs, and tests to fight infectious diseases for a Duke-led consortium of universities," broke ground. Also undergoing construction was the Duke Smart House, a 4,500-square-foot (420 m2) research center in which undergraduates explore resource-efficient design.
In 2005, three students were named Rhodes Scholars, making Duke the institution tied for the second most recipients. In Duke history, forty students have been honored with this scholarship. More recent research includes a blueprint for an invisibility cloak using "metamaterials" and Duke researchers’ involvement in mapping the final human chromosome, which made world news as the Human Genome Project was finally complete.
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