Prime Highlights:
- Duke University and NEON will launch a programme next spring to provide college-level courses to over 200 low-income high school students across the U.S.
- The initiative aims to expand access to quality education and give students early exposure to university-level learning taught by Duke faculty.
Key Facts:
- Students will study the same material and meet the same academic standards as Duke undergraduates, including courses like “Medical Sociology: Who Gets Sick and Why?”
- The programme includes classroom facilitators, weekly Zoom sessions, and NEON-provided training, and adds Duke to a network that already includes Stanford, UPenn, Cornell, Brown, and Howard.
Background
Duke University has teamed up with the National Education Opportunity Network (NEON) to offer college-level courses to more than 200 low-income high school students across the United States. The programme, set to begin next spring, aims to expand access to quality education and give students an early experience of university learning.
Gary Bennett, Dean of Trinity College of Arts & Sciences at Duke, said the partnership reflects the university’s mission to support communities through education. He noted that exposing young students to courses taught by Duke faculty can help shape their future paths. He also praised the professors who volunteered to take part in the initiative.
Among the courses available is ‘Medical Sociology: Who Gets Sick and Why?’ which will be taught by Professor Tyson Brown, the Director of the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity. Students will study the same content as Duke undergraduates and will need to meet the same academic expectations.
To support them, the programme will include classroom facilitators, weekly Zoom sessions with teaching fellows, and additional training provided by NEON for teachers and co-instructors. Vivian Zelter, NEON’s Director of Strategic Partnerships, said she looks forward to the growth of the partnership and believes it will have a strong impact on students nationwide.
Duke now joins several major universities already working with NEON, including Stanford University, the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, Brown University, and Howard University. NEON founder and CEO Leslie Cornfeld welcomed Duke to the network and highlighted the university’s long-standing efforts to improve access and affordability in higher education.
Cornfeld said the partnership strengthens NEON’s mission to expand opportunities for talented students and help more young people move closer to achieving the American Dream.
