DEL-MEM
DEL-MEM

Summer Onboarding 2024

Summer onboarding for the 2024-2025 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) and/or Paul (paul.willeboordse@duke.edu) at any time!

Quick Snapshot of Summer Deadlines
  • June 22: Complete dietary restrictions survey
  • June 30: Email bio and headshot to Kelley (kat34@duke.edu)
  • July 15: Upload final official undergraduate transcript
  • July 17, 5:00pm (ET): Email Two Truths and a Lie slides to Kelley (kat34@duke.edu) and Paul (paul.willeboordse@duke.edu)
  • July 18, 8:00pm (ET): Summer virtual session – Two Truths and a Lie presentations

24s and 25s at Orientation 2023

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 2026 (aka the 26s) to share with DEL students, faculty, facilitators and speakers, and the Nicholas School Dean. For inspiration and to get to know your future DEL-mates, you can check out the 25s’ (Class of 2025) 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.
  • 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: Please make sure to complete this form by Monday, June 17, at 11:59pm to indicate the name you’d like on your name tag and whether you’d like your pronouns listed.
  • Summer Reading [more info coming soon!]
  • Please review the Zoom User Guide and set up your Duke zoom account.

Synchronous Sessions
June 11, 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. Register here. Hosted by Student Disability Access Office & Disability Culture Center

June 13, 10:00am (ET) (optional): Financial Aid: Next Steps
Join Assistant Dean Cindy Peters on Thursday, June 13 at 10:00 AM (ET) for a presentation on next steps for financial aid. Make sure you have taken care of financial aid matters so that you will be ready to start your studies in the fall. She 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. 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.

June 16 – June 22

Self-Paced Activities

  • NEW! 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: Please make sure to complete this form by Monday, June 17, at 11:59pm 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.
  • 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.
  • NEW! 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

NEW! June 20, 10:00 – 11:00am:  U.N. Practicum Course Info Session

  • The UNFCCC Practicum is a course that examines the negotiation of international climate change agreements under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and offers students the invaluable opportunity of attending the negotiations. This year, the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) will take place in Azerbaijan. We welcome undergraduate, masters, professional, and doctoral students from all fields, departments, and programs. The only prerequisite is a passion for climate change policy.
  • Applications will be released during the June 20th information session and will be posted directly on the website afterwards. They will be due by June 28th at 11:59pm. Please fill out this form to be sure to receive updates from the UNFCCC practicum team and check out their website for more information. Join Zoom meeting.
June 23 – June 29

Self-Paced Activities

  • 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 961: Ecosystem Science and Management | W 8-9:30pm ET | TBD (3 credits)
    • ENVIRON 962: Economics of Environmental Management | Th 8-9:30pm ET | George Van Houtven (3 credits)
    • ENVIRON 966: Professional Writing | Tu 8-9:30pm ET | Kerri Ossi-Lupo (1 credit)
    • ENVIRON 995: Environmental Leadership Seminar | M 8-9:30pm ET | Dave Johnston and Kelley Robbins-Thompson (1 credit)
June 30 – July 6

Self-Paced Activities

  • Please email your bio and headshot to Kelley (kat34@duke.edu) by June 30.
  • NEW! August PBS accommodations: 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 group rate for Professional Students Nicholas School of the Environment here. You must book by July 19th to be guaranteed the group rate.

Synchronous Sessions
July 1, 5:00 – 7:00 (ET) (optional): Financial Aid Virtual Office Hours with Cindy Peters

July 7 – July 13

Self-Paced Activities

Synchronous Sessions

July 12, 10:00 – 11:00am (ET): Library Resources Virtual Session

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
  • NEW! 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:
    • 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! Duplicate Stellic sessions will be held this week. We strongly recommend attending one (or both) of these sessions:

July 18, 8:00 – 9:30pm (ET): Virtual Summer Session for 25s and 26s
For this virtual session, we’re asking all DEL students – 25s and 26s – to participate in the DEL version of Two Truths and a Lie. We will email guidance about this in June. Please send your slides to Kelley (kat34@duke.edu) and Paul (paul.willeboordse@duke.edu) by July 17 at 5pm (ET).

July 21 – July 27

Self-Paced Activities

  • July 26: Tier One Course registration begins (enroll in up to 12 credits). Incoming DEL students should enroll in the following courses:
    • ENVIRON 961: Ecosystem Science and Management | W 8-9:30pm ET | TBD (3 credits)
    • ENVIRON 962: Economics of Environmental Management | Th 8-9:30pm ET | George Van Houtven (3 credits)
    • ENVIRON 966: Professional Writing | Tu 8-9:30pm ET | Kerri Ossi-Lupo (1 credit)
    • ENVIRON 995: Environmental Leadership Seminar | M 8-9:30pm ET | Dave Johnston and Kelley Robbins-Thompson (1 credit)
  • NEW! 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.
  • Continue with your summer readings.
  • As you gear up for the start of the semester, it may be helpful to review Duke’s 2024-2025 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.

Synchronous Sessions

NEW! Duplicate registration sessions will be held this week. We strongly recommend attending one (or both) of these sessions:

July 28 – August 3

Self-Paced Activities

  • Continue reading all summer readings.

UPDATED: 07/23/24

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