A platform to foster faculty advancement and inclusion through community building, networking, and multidisciplinary research
The Black Think Tank (BTT) was formed in 2017 and focuses on faculty advancement through four main pillars:
- Visibility Enhancement
- Community Building
- Professional Development
- Scholarly progression
Inclusion and retention of minority faculty are among Duke’s top priorities as addressed in the new strategic plan, “Together Duke – Advancing Excellence Through Community.” Our initiative embodies many of the broad goals defined in this plan: Invest in Duke faculty; Provide a transformative education experience; and Create a supportive environment for research, learning, and academic communities.
The Black Think Tank hopes to close some of these gaps by strengthening and developing the faculty body engaged in Black affairs, which will ultimately advance the entire Duke community. Importantly, a main goal of this platform is to stimulate creative thinking in a multidisciplinary way and to be a catalyst for new research programs. The BTT connects faculty of all ranks across departments and schools, and pursue initiatives that bring new components to their portfolio, which is fully aligned with our goals as faculty and scholars at Duke.
Our Mission
The Black Think Tank at Duke aims to foster an inclusive academic community and highlights the prominence of faculty committed to Black scholarship, cultural engagement, and community building. This multidisciplinary and open-access platform reunites resources, scholarship, and builds an academic network of belonging and affirmation.