Duke University News and In-Depth Reporting

How I Accidentally Became Part of China’s PR Campaign

Jacqueline Cole speaks with interviewers during a tour of an opera museum in Kunshan, China. (Photo courtesy of Sophia Lehrman)

Dozens of Duke students signed up for a free trip to China. Even the school was surprised by what happened.

The ‘Did Duke Win?’ Guy Didn’t Mean to Dunk on Duke

"Did Duke Win?" uses a famously simple style to update fans on men's basketball results. (Illustration by Matt Hartman for The Assembly)

The untold story of how a Duke student accidentally made UNC-Chapel Hill basketball fans’ favorite website.

The Glory Days of Coach K (and College Basketball)

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski speaks at a news conference in April 2022. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

A new book offers the ultimate insider’s view of Duke’s success, but is just as noteworthy for what it leaves out.

Young People Cast Fewer Provisional Ballots in 2024. Many Still Didn’t Count.

The polling site at North Carolina Central University. (Photo by Erin Gretzinger for The Assembly)

While provisional ballots can help decide elections in North Carolina, many ballots—especially students’—often get tossed.

What Does Duke University Owe Durham?

A statue of Benjamin Duke on campus. (Photo by Erin Gretzinger for The Assembly)

A local coalition is demanding Duke pay the city $50 million a year in lieu of taxes, the latest in long-simmering town-gown tensions.

Duke’s Center for Documentary Studies Rises From the Ashes

The Center for Documentary Studies at Duke. (Kate Medley for The Assembly)

The center has named a new director and restarted some programs.

A UNC Student’s Overdose Death at Duke

Elizabeth Grace Burton, 19, was a business student at the University of North Carolina. (Photo illustration by Taylor Le for The Assembly)

A Carolina freshman died in March after being found unconscious in a Duke dorm room. Neither university said anything publicly.

A Duke Scientist Sued Over Unequal Pay. An Internal Study Says She’s Not Alone.

Duke University biomedical engineer Rachel Lance. (Kate Medley for The Assembly)

Biomedical engineer Rachel Lance was labeled a ‘troublemaker’ after she complained that Duke pays her significantly less than male colleagues.

The Education of Duke’s Eric Greitens

Eric Greitens reads from a prepared statement as he announces his resignation as Missouri governor during a news conference at the state Capitol on May 29, 2018. (Julie Smith/The Jefferson City News-Tribune via AP)

An ambitious student from St. Louis left a mark at Duke University before becoming governor of Missouri and resigning amid scandal. As Eric Greitens attempts a comeback, people who thought they knew him wonder who he really is.

Duke University and the Troubles of College Sports

Fans wait for Duke guard Cassius Stanley to attempt a free throw at Cameron Indoor Stadium. // Photo by Mary Holt/Icon Sportswire

A veteran professor enjoys Cameron craziness as much as any Blue Devils fan, but says big-time college sports dominate what are supposed to be nonprofit academic institutions. Even at Duke, which considers itself a shining star, there’s academic corner-cutting, rampant commercialization, and some unsettling racial dynamics.