Summer onboarding for the 2023-2024 school year begins in June and runs until the start of orientation in August. It is designed to provide you with all the information you’ll need to prepare for the start of your DEL adventure. Onboarding will be held online through a combination of asynchronous videos/activities and live information sessions. 

June 11-17

Asynchronous Activities

• As a student in the DEL-MEM program, tech preparation is essential. Students will need to use several different technologies in their classes and on special projects. Incoming students are encouraged to spend time over the summer getting familiar with these platforms and reviewing the fundamentals. The tech prep resources are separated into three sections. Over the summer, incoming students should prioritize the tutorials in Part A – this section should be reviewed as early as possible and completed before Orientation

Synchronous Sessions
June 13, 9:00am ET: Staying Well as a Graduate or Professional Student
This session is a part of the Graduate and Professional Students office’s Summer Transition Series. Registration required.

• Hosted by Duke Student Health

June 14, 10:00am ET: Financial Aid: Next Steps, DukeHub, Loans, Bills, and Due Dates
Join Assistant Dean Cindy Peters for a presentation on next steps for financial aid. Make sure you have taken care of financial aid matters so that will be ready to start your studies in the fall. Cindy will review various forms, important dates and your responsibilities. There should be time for questions at the end. Please, no requests for re-evaluation of financial aid awards. The session will be recorded for those not able to attend. Access the Financial Aid Session.

• NEW! Watch recording after session (Access: @NSOE2023)

June 18-24

Asynchronous Activities

• NEW! To kick off your learning adventure and as part of the DEL Leadership Seminar course (ENVIRON 995), we are asking all incoming students to purchase and read All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis, edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine K Wilkinson. This inspirational essay collection invites us to consider how we are engaging in the climate movement. It also asks us to consider environmental leadership from a feminist, intergenerational perspective. We hope this book will inspire great conversation. Please read at least 3 essays in each section (i.e., Root, Advocate, Reframe, Reshape, Persist, Feel, Nourish, Rise, Onward), and please choose one section to read deeply and in its entirety. As you read the essays, keep a running list of questions that emerge, quotes that enliven your thinking, and passages that you find inspirational or problematic. There is a discussion guide on the All We Can Save website, which may be helpful to review ahead of orientation. We will have a book discussion during orientation.   

Synchronous Sessions
June 20, 9:00am ET: Leadership and Engagement at Duke and in Durham, NC
This session is a part of the Graduate and Professional Students office’s Summer Transition Series. Registration required.

• Hosted by Duke’s Graduate & Professional Student Government

NEW! (optional) June 20, 9:00am ET: Behavioral Economics for International Development Webinar
Duke University’s Center for International Development (DCID) is excited to announce a free webinar on Behavioral Economics for International Development. Registration is required.

• This hands-on workshop will be led by Joseph Sherlock, Principal, Government Team at the Center for Advanced Hindsight at Duke University. During this one-hour webinar, attendees will receive a brief overview of behavioral economics principles and how they relate to work in international development. This will include discussing several examples where Behavioral Economics has been used in past and current development projects. If you have any questions about the upcoming webinar, please contact DCID’s Executive Education Team (dcidexed@duke.edu).
• Interested in taking an online course on Behavioral Economics for International Development? Learn more here.

June 25-July 1

Asynchronous Activities

• By June 30, please send your bio and headshot to Kelley Robbins-Thompson (kat34@duke.edu). We will share your bio with both DEL cohorts, as well as with DEL faculty, guest speakers, and Dean Toddi Steelman. This is your chance to share a bit of information about your professional journey in the environmental field. You can check out the Twenty-Fours’ bios here.
• NEW! Shopping Carts open in DukeHub on June 26. The shopping cart is where you will put courses together that you are interested in taking. Once registration opens, you can move courses from your shopping cart into your actual registration record. Adding courses to your shopping cart does not mean enrolling in the course.
  • DEL students take their core courses during the fall semesters, which makes fall course registration very straightforward. When course registration opens, you will enroll in the following courses:
    • ENVIRON 963: Strategic Planning for Environmental Leaders | Tu 8-9:30pm ET | Holly Emerson
    • ENVIRON 964: Environmental Law and Policy | Th 8-9:30pm ET | Jeremy Pare
    • ENVIRON 966: Professional Writing | W 8-9:30pm ET | Kerri Ossi-Lupo
    • ENVIRON 995: Environmental Leadership Seminar | M 8-9:30pm ET | Dave Johnston and Kelley Robbins-Thompson
  • Generally, DEL students take only the core courses during the fall semesters and especially during the first semester. However, each student’s situation is different, so you are welcome to take a look at other course offerings, which are available in DukeHub.

July 2-8

Asynchronous Activities

• Continue reading All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine K. Wilkinson.  
• DukeCard: Please make time this week to request your DukeCard. Instructions for making this request and submitting your photo can be found here. For more information about your DukeCard, please visit the DukeCard Office.
• Photo and Video Consent: Please take 1 minute this week to complete the Photo and Video Consent form.
• Please watch the Zoom Training videos and review the Zoom User Guide
• International students only: Please review the Checklist for New and Transfer Students. You are required to submit all requested documents (preferably as one pdf file) before our first place-based session in August. We recommend submitting this information as soon as possible. Please also take some time to review the visa process you will go through for each Place-based Session.

July 9-15

Asynchronous Activities

• The Nicholas School’s Student Services team will provide each incoming student with a sustainable name tag, which is typically worn for interviews, networking, professional opportunities, when meeting alumni, etc. In your application for admission, you already provided your preferred name (first and last) for the sustainable name tag (e.g., John Doe). You will also have an opportunity to include your pronouns if you’d like – more information about how to include your pronouns on your name tag will be coming soon.
• We invite you to take some time to peruse the Nicholas School video library to learn more about the school and to hear from students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
• By July 14, please complete the orientation survey to indicate your dietary restrictions, special requests, and t-shirt size.
• By July 15, you must submit your final official undergraduate transcript showing that your undergraduate degree has been conferred (submission link coming soon!). For students who graduated from an institution outside of the U.S., you must submit your final official undergraduate transcript and degree certificate

Synchronous Sessions
July 10, 8:00 – 9:00pm ET: Virtual summer session #1
Come meet your cohort, hear from the DEL team, and learn more about what to expect during your time in the DEL program. Join Zoom Meeting (Meeting ID: 951 5747 0665)

July 11, 7:00 – 8:00pm ET: Stellic Introduction

• Watch recording after the session
• Access code: @NSOE2023

July 16-22

Asynchronous Activities

• Continue reading All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine K. Wilkinson. 
• Nicholas School IT: Please take 5 minutes to view the NSOE IT orientation video
• NEW! July 21 at 7:00 AM (ET): Tier One course registration in DukeHub begins for incoming students. Tier One course registration will continue through Tuesday, August 22 at 11:59 PM (ET). During Tier One, incoming students can enroll in up to 12 credits. The Nicholas School uses a tiered registration format to ensure that all students have equal access to classes. Students can enroll in up to 12 credits in the first tier and up to 16.5 credits in the second tier. If more than 16.5 total credits are needed, the course overload request form is required with advisor approval. DEL students should enroll in the following courses:
  • ENVIRON 963: Strategic Planning for Environmental Leaders | Tu 8-9:30pm ET | Holly Emerson
  • ENVIRON 964: Environmental Law and Policy | Th 8-9:30pm ET | Jeremy Pare
  • ENVIRON 966: Professional Writing | W 8-9:30pm ET | Kerri Ossi-Lupo
  • ENVIRON 995: Environmental Leadership Seminar | M 8-9:30pm ET | Dave Johnston and Kelley Robbins-Thompson

July 23-29

Asynchronous Activities

• Nicholas School Student Groups: Nicholas School students are active and engaged in dozens of student groups and activities. Ordinarily, student group activities take place in person; however, student group leaders may be able to create opportunities to engage virtually. We invite you to find groups and organizations that appeal to your interests and build your community. Here’s a video introduction to many of these student groups. Student group leaders will be reaching out to all professional students during the first few weeks of classes with more information about how to get involved.
• Continue reading All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine K. Wilkinson. 
• International students only: This is a gentle reminder to submit all required documentation outlined in the Checklist for New and Transfer Students if you have not already done so. Additionally, please prepare for your visit to Duke’s campus by completing all steps outlined in the Place-based Session visa process.

Synchronous Sessions
NEW! July 27, 8:00-9:00pm ET: Happy Hour Hosted by the Twenty-Fours!
Come meet the Twenty-Fours (i.e., Class of 2024) and enjoy some laughs and stories before the start of the school year! Join Zoom Meeting (Meeting ID: 923 8766 0916).

July 30 – August 5

Asynchronous Activities

• Continue reading All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine K. Wilkinson.  

Synchronous Sessions
(Note: the two sessions below will provide the same information, so you only need to attend one)

NEW! August 3, 4:00-5:00pm ET: Library Resources/Overview: Virtual Session
Learn about the suite of library resources you’ll have access to while a Duke student. During orientation week, you will have a chance to meet with the Nicholas School librarian and dive deeper into various resources you’ll be able to access for your research. Join library session.

NEW! August 4, 10:00-11:00am ET: Library Resources/Overview: Virtual Session
Learn about the suite of library resources you’ll have access to while a Duke student. During orientation week, you will have a chance to meet with the Nicholas School librarian and dive deeper into various resources you’ll be able to access for your research. Join library session.

• Recording: Watch recording after the meeting.
• Access Code: @NSOE2023

August 6-12

Asynchronous Activities

• Complete orientation pre-readings (more information to come!)

Synchronous Sessions
August 7, 8:00-9:00pm ET: Summer Virtual Session #2
Join us for our second virtual session of the summer. Come learn a bit more about your cohort-mates and have your questions answered! Join Zoom Meeting (Meeting ID: 951 5747 0665).

UPDATED: 7/13/23

>>View more information at the ‘Before You Arrive’ section