Duke Center for Community Engagement

Partnering to explore the difficult questions.

The Duke Center for Community Engagement is an interdisciplinary hub facilitating collaborative scholarship between community partners and Duke faculty, staff, and students, to address pressing societal challenges.

The Center connects community organizations with students and researchers to explore difficult questions, analyze data, and enhance their impactful work.

The Duke Center for Community Engagement is a joint effort of Duke Community Affairs and Interdisciplinary Studies in the Office of the Provost. The Center supports the university’s ongoing commitment to “partner with purpose,” a cornerstone of Duke’s vision for its second century.

Learn more about us.


What we do

We support equitable community-engaged scholarship and research in tangible ways.

Navigate

Match university teams and resources with community partners to connect Duke’s academic resources to community priorities, wisdom, and assets​.

READY TO ENGAGE? Have a potential project to tackle this summer? Learn about community-engaged doctoral fellowships. Or, get involved in the effort to reduce administrative barriers to community-engaged research.

Educate & Prepare

Provide training, best practices, co-curricular experiences, professional development, and communities of practice to equip participants to engage in mutually-beneficial collaboration.

READY TO ENGAGE? Arrange a Foundations of Engagement training session.

Champion

Promote ongoing discovery and outcomes of community-engaged scholarship as a practice​.

READY TO ENGAGE? See the wide range of existing projects and identify potential collaborators in the Partnerships and Initiatives Map.

Contact Us

For personalized assistance, contact us at communityengagementcenter@duke.edu.


Events & Opportunities

2025 Community-Engaged Fellowships: Apply by Mar. 15

The Duke Center for Community Engagement is funding summer fellowships with local community organizations, available to both Ph.D. students and other doctoral students.

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Feb. 7 Research-Practice Partnerships Workshop

A one-day workshop led by Paula Arce-Trigatti, Director of the National Network of Education Research-Practice Partnerships (NNERPP) at Rice.

LEARN MORE AND REGISTER

Climate Leader in Residence Nominations Now Open

All Duke faculty and equivalent staff are invited to submit nominations to your dean or UIC director. Nominations are considered on a rolling basis, through February 17. 

SUBMIT NOMINEE

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News

Duke Center for Community Engagement Launches

A daylong symposium took place February 5, 2025, in downtown Durham.

READ THE RECAP

Goldstein Selected for New Role to Foster Community-Engaged Scholarship

Debbie Goldstein to lead Duke Center for Community Engagement and North Carolina Leadership Forum.

READ STORY ON DUKE TODAY

How Local Universities Are Supporting Community Schools

University-Assisted Community Schools are equitable partnerships designed to improve community well-being and advance research, teaching and learning.

READ more

Explore more civic engagement

Looking to collaborate in other ways? Duke actively facilitates a wide range civic engagement including volunteering; community internships and work study; and leadership forums.

Learn More

North Carolina Leadership Forum

NCLF provides an opportunity for civic, business, and political leaders from across North Carolina to discuss issues central to the future of our state.

Learn More

The Duke Center for Community Engagement is a joint effort of Duke Community Affairs and Interdisciplinary Studies in the Office of the Provost. The Center supports the university’s ongoing commitment to “partner with purpose,” a cornerstone of Duke’s vision for its second century.

Carnegie Foundation seal

Carnegie Community Engagement Classification

Duke is recognized as a “community engaged institution” by the Carnegie Foundation.

Have a question? Get in touch today.