DEL-MEM
DEL-MEM

Summer Onboarding 2025

Summer onboarding for the 2025-2026 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 self-paced activities and live information sessions. If you follow the timely guidance offered below (scroll down to see the full list of scheduled activities), you will be ready for a successful start to the program. 

This site is your guide to summer onboarding, and we recommend checking it regularly. As new opportunities arise, we will post them into the schedule (denoted as NEW!). We will also send out periodic email communications with timely information. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to Kelley (kat34@duke.edu) at any time!

Quick Snapshot of Summer Deadlines
  • June 16: Please complete this form to indicate the name you’d like on your NSOE sustainable name tag and whether you’d like your pronouns listed.
  • June 22: Please complete a brief survey on your dietary restrictions so that we can ensure your dietary needs are met during our place-based sessions.
  • June 30: Email bio and headshot to Kelley (kat34@duke.edu)
  • NEW! July 11: Complete this survey to share your preferred t-shirt size and color for a Nicholas School t-shirt.
  • July 15: Upload final official undergraduate transcript
  • July 21, 5:00pm (ET): Email Two Truths and a Lie slides to Kelley (kat34@duke.edu)
  • July 22, 8:00pm (ET): Summer virtual session – Two Truths and a Lie presentations
  • August 17: Please complete all summer readings by the start of orientation on August 18
  • August 18-21: Orientation/place-based session #1. We will begin around 10am on August 18 and wrap up by 4pm on August 21. A detailed orientation schedule will be sent later this summer.

Schedule

June 1 – June 8

Self-Paced Activities (to be started by this week)

  • Welcome to the DEL and Nicholas School communities! We invite you to share a bit about your professional journey in the environmental sphere with all of us. Please send a brief bio and headshot to Kelley Robbins-Thompson (kat34@duke.edu) by June 30. We will compile bios for the Class of 2027 (aka the 27s) to share with DEL students, faculty, facilitators, and speakers. For inspiration and to get to know your future DEL-mates, you can check out the 26s’ (Class of 2026) bios here.
  • As a student in the Nicholas School’s professional degree programs, tech preparation is essential. Students will need to use several different technologies in their classes and on special projects, and they are encouraged to spend time over the summer getting familiar with these platforms and reviewing the fundamentals. Please spend time over the summer reviewing these resources.
  • Nicholas School sustainable name tags: Please complete this form by June 16 to indicate the name you’d like on your name tag and whether you’d like your pronouns listed.
  • Orientation/August place-based session (PBS) accommodations: Our August PBS will be August 18-21, beginning around 10am on Aug 18 and wrapping up by 4pm on Aug 21. We have reserved a block of rooms at the AC Durham for a group rate of $159/night. You are welcome to stay wherever you’d like (please feel free to self-organize Airbnb stays!), but we wanted to provide this as an option. The hotel is within walking distance of the Nicholas School. If you choose to the stay at the AC Durham, you can book your DEL group rate here. You must book by July 17th to be guaranteed the group rate.
  • 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.
June 9 – June 15

Self-Paced Activities (to be started by this week)

  • Nicholas School sustainable name tags: If you have not yet done so, please complete this form by June 16 to indicate the name you’d like on your name tag and whether you’d like your pronouns listed.
  • Please complete a brief survey on your dietary restrictions by June 22 so that we can ensure your dietary needs are met during our place-based sessions.
  • Please review the Zoom User Guide and set up your Duke zoom account.
  • Environmental Leadership Summer Reading: The DEL team has curated a set of environmental leadership readings, podcasts, and videos that will help lay the foundation for leadership discussions throughout your time in the program. We will share them in two sets, one now (see below) and one later in the summer. You can access the journal articles through Duke University Libraries. Please take some time to read, contemplate, and reflect on these readings, and be prepared to bring your thoughts and insights to the group in August.

Synchronous Sessions
June 12, 9:00am (ET) (optional): Overview of the Student Accommodations Process & Community Resources
This session is a part of the Graduate and Professional Students office’s Summer Transition Series. Please register here. Hosted by Student Disability Access Office & Disability Culture Center

June 16 – June 22

Self-Paced Activities

  • Your Duke email has been added to the relevant DEL and Nicholas School listservs. Please note that these email lists are meant for academic purposes only. Your Duke alias email was used to subscribe you to the listservs. Typically, the Duke Alias email is your firstname.lastname@duke.edu. Please notify the Nic School Registrar’s Office if you have changed or plan to change your Duke alias email address. If you do not notify the registrar’s office, you will not receive messages sent to the listservs. It’s perfectly fine to change your alias address – we just need to know so that we can update our listservs.
  • Nicholas School sustainable name tags: If you have not yet done so, please complete this form by June 16 to indicate the name you’d like on your name tag and whether you’d like your pronouns listed.
  • DukeCard: Please make time this week to request your DukeCard. 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.
  • If you have not yet done so, please complete a brief survey on your dietary restrictions by June 22 so that we can ensure your dietary needs are met during our place-based sessions.
  • Reminder about our group rate ($159/night) at the AC Durham for our August PBS. Again, you are welcome to stay wherever you’d like, but we wanted to provide this as an option. The hotel is within walking distance of the Nicholas School. If you choose to the stay at the AC Durham, you can book your DEL group rate here. You must book by July 17th to be guaranteed the group rate.
  • Continue with summer reading:
June 23 – June 29

Self-Paced Activities

  • NEW! Incoming students will receive a Nicholas School t-shirt as a welcome gift to the school. Please complete this survey by July 11 to share your preferred t-shirt size and color.
  • Shopping Carts open in DukeHub at the end of June. 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. Please take some time to familiarize yourself with DukeHub.
  • 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 courses listed below. Generally, DEL students take only the core courses during the fall semesters. However, each student’s situation is different, so you are welcome to take a look at other course offerings, which are available in DukeHub. Please feel free to reach out to Kelley Robbins-Thompson with any questions.
    • ENVIRON 963: Strategy and Implementation for Environmental Leaders | W 8-9:30pm ET | Sam Hanna (3 credits)
    • ENVIRON 964: Environmental Law and Policy | Tu 8-9:30pm ET | Jeremy Pare (3 credits)
    • ENVIRON 966: Professional Writing | Th 8-9:30pm ET | Kerri Ossi-Lupo (1 credit)
    • ENVIRON 995: Environmental Leadership Seminar | M 7:30-9:00pm ET | Sam Hanna and Dave Johnston (1 credit)

Synchronous Activities
NEW! June 23, 10:00am: Financial Aid: Next Steps
Join Assistant Dean Cindy Peters for a presentation on the next steps regarding financial aid. Students are encouraged to attend this session to ensure they have addressed all their financial aid matters in preparation for the upcoming fall semester. Cindy will cover various forms, important deadlines, 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 and posted here afterwards. Please note: Later in the summer, Cindy Peters will hold office hours for non-confidential matters, such as questions regarding bills, payments, and general financial aid. The office hours will not be recorded.

  • Financial Aid: Next Steps Virtual Presentation, Monday, June 23, 10:00 AM (ET) (link coming soon!)
  • Financial Aid Virtual Office Hours, Monday, July 7, 6:00 – 7:00 PM (ET) (link coming soon!)
June 30 – July 6

Self-Paced Activities

July 7 – July 13

Self-Paced Activities

  • Incoming students will receive a Nicholas School t-shirt as a welcome gift to the school. Please complete this survey by July 11 to share your preferred t-shirt size and color.
  • Nicholas School IT: Please take 5 minutes to view the NSOE IT orientation video
  • 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.
  • Please take some time this summer to read the second set of leadership readings from Innovation in Environmental Leadership: Critical Perspectives (2018), edited by Benjamin W. Redekop, Deborah Rigling Gallagher, and Rian Satterwhite. Please read the following chapters (and any others that interest you!):
    • Chapter 1. The Seven Unsustainabilities of Mainstream Leadership. Jem Bendell, Richard Little, and Neil Sutherland
    • Chapter 4. Sustainable Leadership: Toward Restoring the Human and Natural Worlds. Tina Lynn Evans
    • Chapter 14. From Peril to Possibility: Restorative Leadership for a Sustainable Future. Seana Lowe Steffen

Synchronous Sessions
NEW! July 7, 6:00 – 7:00pm (ET): Financial Aid Virtual Office Hours.
Cindy Peters will hold office hours for non-confidential matters, such as questions regarding bills, payments, and general financial aid. The office hours will not be recorded.

July 14 – July 20

Self-Paced Activities (to be completed this week)

  • By July 15, you must submit your final official undergraduate transcript showing that your undergraduate degree has been conferred. Upload here. For students who graduated from an institution outside of the U.S., you must submit your final official undergraduate transcript and degree certificate
  • Reminder: If you want to stay at the AC Durham for our August PBS at the DEL group rate of $159/night, you must book your room by July 17.
  • Continue with all summer readings.
July 21 – July 27

Self-Paced Activities

  • July 23: Tier One Course registration begins (enroll in up to 12 credits). Incoming DEL students should enroll in the following courses:
    • ENVIRON 963: Strategy and Implementation for Environmental Leaders | W 8-9:30pm ET | Sam Hanna (3 credits)
    • ENVIRON 964: Environmental Law and Policy | Tu 8-9:30pm ET | Jeremy Pare (3 credits)
    • ENVIRON 966: Professional Writing | Th 8-9:30pm ET | Kerri Ossi-Lupo (1 credit)
    • ENVIRON 995: Environmental Leadership Seminar | M 7:30-9:00pm ET | Sam Hanna and Dave Johnston (1 credit)
  • For questions regarding course registration, the following resources may be useful: Registration guide for new students. NSOE Syllabus Repository. You are also welcome to reach out to Kelley anytime.
  • As you gear up for the start of the semester, it may be helpful to review Duke’s 2025-2026 Academic Calendar. This will give you a sense of the pacing of each semester and will highlight important registration dates, holidays and breaks, and exam schedules.
  • Continue with all summer readings.

Synchronous Sessions

NEW! July 22, 7:00 – 8:00pm (ET): Course Registration Office Hours (link coming soon!)

July 22, 8:00 – 9:30pm (ET): Virtual Summer Session for 26s and 27s
For this virtual session, we’re asking all DEL students – 26s and 27s – to participate in the DEL version of Two Truths and a Lie. We will email guidance about this in mid-late June. Please send your slides to Kelley (kat34@duke.edu) by July 21 at 5pm (ET). Zoom link: https://duke.zoom.us/j/96797389000. Meeting ID: 967 9738 9000.

NEW! July 23, 3:00 – 4:00pm (ET): Course Registration Office Hours (link coming soon!)

July 28 – August 17

Self-Paced Activities

  • Continue reading all summer readings.

UPDATED: 06/26/25

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