About the University Scholars Program
Designed to stimulate an interdisciplinary, inter-generational community of scholars, the University Scholars Program was created in 1998 by the Office of the Vice-Provost of Interdisciplinary Studies with a gift from Duke University Trustee Emerita Melinda French Gates.
The University Scholars Program (USP) welcomed its first matriculating class in 1999. This innovative program was the first of its kind in the United States and around the world, bringing together undergraduates, graduate students, and students from Duke’s professional schools to meet regularly through seminars, informal mentoring, programmatic retreats, and student-led symposia. Other universities and colleges have sought to emulate certain aspects of the USP, but the interdisciplinary-minded community of students at various stages of tertiary and post tertiary education remains unique.
Spotlight on Michelle Giffoni-Albor
Michelle Giffoni-Albor is a rising sophomore dedicated to bridging narrative storytelling and numerical thinking to better understand how language shapes relationships and learning experiences. Through programs like Focus: KISS, she has explored how culturally responsive pedagogy can shape inclusive and impactful academic environments. During her summer internship with Raising A Reader MA through DukeEngage Boston, she merged her interests in data and storytelling while interviewing caregivers to support digital fundraising efforts. A Mathematics and Spanish major, Michelle is excited to work as a calculus teaching assistant, deepening her commitment to exploring teaching, numerical thinking, and communication across disciplines and cultures.