Thinking BIG: Pratt 2039

The Pratt 2039 Steering Committee was charged in early 2020 by Dean Ravi V. Bellamkonda and the Engineering Faculty Council (EFC) with leading our community in an aspirational visioning exercise with the goal of answering two questions so we can realize our mission of positively impacting society in the decades ahead:

• How can we best position Duke Engineering to maximize the long-term impacts of our educational programs and research enterprise?
• Who do we want to be in 2039, as a school and as a community, in service to society?

The process was intended to have two phases. In the first, the Pratt 2039 Steering Committee worked with members of our community to think big about what Duke Engineering could be when we celebrate our centennial in 2039 and to propose ambitious goals and initiatives that will help us reach that vision. In Phase 2, we will chart our path toward those goals by creating deliberate steps including financial modeling and implementation plans.

The committee’s work began in early March 2020. Shortly after the first meeting, Duke issued university-wide work-from-home requirements for all faculty and staff and announced that the remainder of the spring semester would be taught virtually due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.

To allow the faculty to adjust to this new and sudden situation, the group’s work was temporarily paused. Work resumed in mid-April and progressed through mid-October, at which time the group delivered its final report to Dean Bellamkonda and EFC Chair Craig Henriquez. A period of community review followed, with opportunities for feedback to be shared both online and at community meetings held through March 2021.

The committee outlined a methodology by which they would review data, gain input, and ultimately determine recommendations. First, the committee received presentations from school leaders in the areas of education and research. These presentations provided committee members with baseline data about the school’s past and current performance and reviewed the leadership’s immediate-term goals and objectives in these areas.

Next, in order to seek ideas and input from faculty, staff, students, alumni, board members, and other stakeholders, the group held a series of focus groups. These focus groups were designed to ensure that representatives from all engineering units and stakeholder groups had an opportunity to participate in the process.

Focus groups were held with tenure-track faculty, other regular rank faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, staff, members of our Board of Visitors, and deans of all other Duke Schools. Committee members invited and received input from colleagues in faculty meetings and individual conversations. The committee consulted with leaders of the Engineering Alumni Council (EAC) to better understand the alumni perspective. Finally, the committee underwent more typical strategic planning activities including preparing a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses Opportunities, Threats) analysis, participating in a long-term visioning exercise, and identifying broad themes and specific recommendations for achieving that vision.