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July 2004

Men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski announces that he has rejected an offer to coach the NBA Los Angeles Lakers, saying, "Duke has always taken up my whole heart."

August 2004

Duke makes national news by giving all 1,650 first-year undergraduates an Apple iPod digital sound player to listen to language lessons, recorded lectures, audio books, music and other educational content.

September 2004

Duke inaugurates Richard H. Brodhead as the university's ninth president. He pledges to push the university to further greatness and to continue "to mitigate the problem of cost for those who can't pay the full fare" to attend.

October 2004

The Palestine Solidarity Movement holds its national conference at Duke. The controversial event proceeds peacefully and prompts Duke students and faculty to examine the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and debate free speech, academic freedom and terrorism throughout the academic year.

November 2004

Duke leaders and donors celebrate the opening of the new $97 million Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences, or CIEMAS, which more than doubles teaching and research space at the Pratt School of Engineering.

December 2004

A major expansion of the School of Nursing gains trustee approval. A new doctoral program and $22.8-million building aim to raise the school's stature and help address the national shortage of nurses.

January 2005

Duke University Medical Center hires the winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Peter C. Agre, to guide the development of Duke's biomedical research as vice chancellor for science and technology.

February 2005

The Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership opens the Walltown Neighborhood Clinic, the second health clinic established to serve low-income Durham residents near Duke's campus. The partnership operates additional clinics within Durham public schools.

March 2005

The Rev. Canon Dr. Samuel Wells, a respected Anglican theologian of ethics and minister to the underprivileged, becomes dean of Duke Chapel. He replaces former dean William H. Willimon, now a United Methodist bishop.

April 2005

Duke adopts an institution-wide environmental policy to make the university a national leader in such practices as pollution prevention and eco-friendly purchasing. Construction begins on Duke Smart House, a 4,500-square-foot undergraduate live-in research center to explore energy- and resource-efficient design.

May 2005

Trustees approve a new Duke Global Health Research Building, one of four U.S. labs to develop new vaccines, drugs and tests to fight infectious diseases for a Duke-led consortium of universities.

June 2005

Students, faculty and administrators break ground for a new West Campus Plaza, which will connect West Union, Flowers, the Bryan Center and Page to create a "living room" for students and a space for outdoor arts performances.