In its 1984 debut issue, the magazine outlined an editorial policy that continues to shape its course: “We hope that the magazine will be compelling in its content, striking in its visual impression. We hope it will provide a sense of the intellectual dynamism that characterizes the Duke community.” Whether reporting on alumni of unusual accomplishment, on student achievers, or on the frontiers of science research, the magazine presents the campus not as an isolated entity, but as a place engaged with the weighty issues of the day—social, political, educational.
The magazine is published six times a year by the Office of Alumni Affairs. It is mailed in the first month on the cover banner. The publisher is Sterly L. Wilder '83, associate vice president for Alumni Affairs.
Story ideas come from a great variety of sources. Because the magazine is interested in addressing the issues of the day in the context of the campus, many ideas come from the general-interest and higher-education press. Others come from meetings with the Editorial Advisory Board (a group of Duke alumni and friends, chaired by New York Times reporter Peter Applebome ’71 and made up of accomplished professional journalists); continuing interaction with university administrators, faculty members, and students; and the editors’ general sense of the intellectual currents of the campus. Over the years, Duke Magazine has received numerous awards in recognition of its editorial quality.
