In many ways, it seems like only yesterday that I stood in front of our magnificent Duke Chapel to be inaugurated as president of this remarkable intellectual community.

The ceremony reminded all of us that day of Duke’s august traditions, and of the hopes and dreams of the founders of the institution. I was also aware then, and have been every day of my presidency, that the modern, elite research university is not only a place of strong traditions but also a place of endless exploration, with an eager focus on the future. The university is rational and skeptical, yet daring and hopeful. Its approach to the mission of creating new knowledge must be idealistic without being ideological, because truth--even hard, scientific knowledge--is provisional, discovered and developed in intellectual, historical and political contexts that change over the years.

A great university nourishes the productive tension between preserving and transmitting a canon while encouraging exploration, peer review and research that could potentially undermine it. I spoke of these issues in my inaugural address and also touched on other themes that are crucial elements of a great and flourishing institution. Among them were the importance of the undergraduate experience, which lies at the heart of any major teaching university; the key role of research in all disciplines; the need to apply advances in knowledge to enrich people’s lives; productive engagement with our host city; diversity as both a moral imperative and a means of expanding our horizons; and a strong national and international presence.

You will see in this year’s annual report that we have chosen to use the academic year just ended as a lens through which to focus on a decade of often stunning progress in each of these arenas. Even the challenges (and there have been a few) have provided educational opportunities--for this president, as well as the youngest scholar.

I hope you enjoy reading about this past year’s many accomplishments, and that this report also leads you to reflect not only on Duke’s rise to a position of real leadership, but its extraordinary potential for even greater accomplishments. It has been a tremendously exciting time to be at Duke--a decade of profound growth and development. Yet amidst great change, we have never lost sight of our founders’ vision that Duke would achieve “a place of real leadership in the educational world.” Together, we are turning that vision into reality day by day and year by year.