School-based centers are the heart of interdisciplinary research and education at Duke University. The more than sixty interdisciplinary centers within the nine schools at Duke facilitate new and diverse activities that would not otherwise occur. The home school in which each center is primarily based ensures that centers are truly interdisciplinary in their efforts and scope, and develop around rich and novel intellectual and programmatic frameworks, as well as sustainable funding models.
Once faculty have thoroughly discussed creating a new interdisciplinary center among themselves and with all appropriate deans, the next step is to submit a proposal to formally establish the center. While each school manages its own process for approving a new center, the general elements of the proposal are a prospectus and bylaws (details and examples are in the pages on the left).
