Richard H. Brodhead
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Richard Halleck Brodhead (born April 17, 1947) is an American scholar of
19th-century American literature American literature is literature written or produced in the United States of America and in the colonies that preceded it. The American literary tradition thus is part of the broader tradition of English-language literature, but also inc ...
and served as the ninth president of
Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...
.


Early life and education

Brodhead was born April 17, 1947, in
Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...
. His family moved to
Fairfield, Connecticut Fairfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders the city of Bridgeport and towns of Trumbull, Easton, Weston, and Westport along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. Located within the New York metropolitan area ...
when he was six years old, where he attended public schools. He went on to attend
Phillips Academy ("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness , address = 180 Main Street , city = Andover , state = Ma ...
, where his high school classmates included Dick Wolf and
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
. Brodhead graduated from
Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...
in 1968
summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...
(with Highest Distinction in the English major). During his senior year at Yale was tapped for membership in the
secret society A secret society is a club or an organization whose activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence a ...
Manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printing, printed or repr ...
and a member of the Elizabethan Club. He continued at Yale for
graduate school Postgraduate or graduate education refers to Academic degree, academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by higher education, post-secondary students who have earned an Undergraduate education, un ...
and earned a
Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...
in English in 1972. He met his wife, Cynthia Degnan, while both were graduate students at Yale.


Career at Yale

After receiving his Ph.D. in 1972, Brodhead was appointed an assistant professor of English at Yale. In 1980, he received tenure and was named Director of Undergraduate Studies in English. By 1985, he had been made a full professor and was named chair of the English department as Bird White Housum Professor of English. He was appointed Dean of Yale College in 1993 and served until 2004. Together with Yale President
Richard C. Levin Richard Charles Levin (born April 7, 1947) is an American economist and academic administrator. From 1993 to 2013, he was the 22nd President of Yale University. From March 2014 to June 2017, he was Chief Executive Officer of Coursera. Early lif ...
, Brodhead oversaw a major curricular review at Yale. An expert in 19th-century American literature, Brodhead has written or edited more than a dozen books on
Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...
,
Herman Melville Herman Melville (Name change, born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American people, American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance (literature), American Renaissance period. Among his bes ...
,
Charles W. Chesnutt Charles Waddell Chesnutt (June 20, 1858 – November 15, 1932) was an American author, essayist, political activist and lawyer, best known for his novels and short stories exploring complex issues of racial and social identity in the post-Civ ...
,
William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer known for his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, based on Lafayette County, Mississippi, where Faulkner spent most of ...
,
Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (; June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American author and abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and became best known for her novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (1852), which depicts the harsh ...
,
Louisa May Alcott Louisa May Alcott (; November 29, 1832March 6, 1888) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet best known as the author of the novel ''Little Women'' (1868) and its sequels ''Little Men'' (1871) and ''Jo's Boys'' (1886). Raised in ...
, Richard Wright and Eudora Welty, among others. His scholarly work has been honored by election to the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...
. Brodhead won the DeVane Medal for outstanding teaching at Yale and spent eight summers teaching high school teachers at the
Bread Loaf School Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...
at
Middlebury, Vermont Middlebury is the shire town (county seat) of Addison County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 9,152. Middlebury is home to Middlebury College and the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History. History One of ...
. He has lectured widely in universities in the United States, Europe, and Asia. As dean and as a professor supervising graduate students, Brodhead was involved in the controversy surrounding efforts by graduate student-employees ( GESO) to unionize; he was accused of attempting to blacklist unionist students. In 2003, Brodhead was named a defendant along with, Richard Levin,
Linda Lorimer Linda Koch Lorimer was Vice President for Global and Strategic Initiatives at Yale University, where she was responsible for an array of administrative departments. She developed and oversees Yale's Office of International Affairs and created Yal ...
in a lawsuit by Yale professor James Van de Velde claiming damage of reputation after Van de Velde was accused of murdering
Suzanne Jovin Suzanne may refer to: People * Suzanne (given name), a feminine given name (including a list of people with the name) * S. U. Zanne, pen name of August Vandekerkhove (1838–1923), Belgian writer and inventor * Suzanne, pen name of Renée Mén ...
, a female student, and Brodhead subsequently canceled his class citing his presence as a "major distraction." In 2007, A Connecticut Judge reopened Velde's lawsuit against Brodhead et al.


Career at Duke

He left
New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...
in 2004 to become President of Duke University, succeeding Nan Keohane. Much of his leadership at Duke was focused on enriching the undergraduate experience of Duke students and expanding the university’s financial aid endowment to ensure that a Duke education is accessible to qualified students regardless of their family’s financial circumstances. He called for Duke to become an international center in addressing health care inequities through a major global health initiative involving faculty and schools across the university, and championed Duke’s efforts to bring the fruits of faculty and student research through a translational process to serve society. Brodhead was also active in Durham, promoting K-12 public education, several new community health clinics, neighborhood revitalization through the Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership, and the future strategic direction of the Research Triangle Park. Brodhead led the successful Financial Aid Initiative, which raised $308.5 million for need-based scholarships at Duke at its conclusion in 2008. His signature program was DukeEngage, which "empowers students to address critical human needs through immersive service, in the process transforming students, advancing the University’s educational mission, and providing meaningful assistance to communities in the U.S. and abroad". More than 300 students participate in DukeEngage each summer. Brodhead made globalization a major strategic priority for the University. Under his leadership Duke established the Duke Global Health Institute, an interdisciplinary center that works to translate research findings to address health care inequities and improve the health of people around the world. He oversaw the creation of the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in partnership with the National University of Singapore. Duke Kunshan University, a new joint venture institution created by Duke University and Wuhan University in China, opened in August 2014, offering degree and non-degree academic programs for students from China and around the world. Brodhead was the first university president to live in the official presidential residence, the
J. Deryl Hart House The J. Deryl Hart House is the official residence for the President of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Built between 1933 and 1934 for Julian Deryl Hart, the three-story brick and timber Tudor Revival mansion is located on the univers ...
, since the 1960s. Presidents prior to Brodhead lived in the Douglas M. and Grace Knight House. Brodhead led Duke Forward, a comprehensive fundraising campaign. As the largest campaign in Duke’s history, it aimed to raise $3.25 billion by 2017 to enrich the Duke experience and give Duke’s talented students, faculty, and medical practitioners opportunities to advance ideas, make new connections, and move the world forward. Brodhead serves on the board of trustees of the
Carnegie Corporation of New York The Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic fund established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to support education programs across the United States, and later the world. Carnegie Corporation has endowed or otherwise helped to establis ...
and the
Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...
’s
National Security Higher Education Advisory Board The National Security Higher Education Advisory Board (NSHEAB) was created by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Robert S. Mueller III on December 15, 2005. Operated by the FBI and paneled by approximately 20 American university presiden ...
. Under his leadership, Duke’s investments strengthened K-12 public education, funded several new community health clinics, and spurred downtown renewal and neighborhood revitalization through the Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership. He was also involved in shaping the strategic direction of the
Research Triangle Park Research Triangle Park (RTP) is the largest research park in the United States, occupying in North Carolina and hosting more than 300 companies and 65,000 workers. The facility is named for its location relative to the three surrounding cities ...
of North Carolina. On April 28, 2016, Brodhead announced that he would end his tenure as Duke's president on June 30, 2017, then take a one-year sabbatical before returning to academia as a writer and instructor.


Duke lacrosse case

Brodhead's actions during the
Duke lacrosse case The Duke lacrosse case was a widely reported 2006 criminal case in Durham, North Carolina, United States in which three members of the Duke University men's lacrosse team were falsely accused of rape. The three students were David Evans, Collin ...
proved controversial after three members of the nationally ranked men's lacrosse team were falsely accused of raping a stripper hired to perform at a team party off campus on March 13, 2006. Brodhead originally stated on March 25, 2006, that "our students must be presumed innocent until proven otherwise,"Criticism directed at Nifong and Duke
. ''The News & Observer.'' 20 December 2006.
but later reneged on the statement after pressure from Duke faculty. He then also stated without regard to the evidence that "whatever they did is bad enough", while talking about the horrors of sexual assault and racism in society. Brodhead canceled the remainder of the 2006 season shortly after the Athletic Director fired Duke's lacrosse coach
Mike Pressler Mike Pressler (born February 27, 1960) is an American lacrosse coach. He has been the head coach of the Bryant Bulldogs since 2007. He served as the head coach of the Duke Blue Devils for 16 seasons until he was forced to resign during the Duke l ...
. Student body president Elliott Wolf opined that Brodhead faced a public perception "that ukesimply washes its hands of students". On December 20, 2006, Brodhead stated that "the DA's case will be on trial just as much as our students will be". On January 3, 2007, Brodhead invited the accused students back to Duke as students in good standing and members of the lacrosse team even though they still faced charges.Duke Invites Lacrosse Defendants to Return
'' WRAL.com.'' 3 January 2007.
On April 11, 2007, the N.C. Attorney General's Office dropped all charges against the players, declared them innocent, and called them victims of a rogue prosecutor's "tragic rush to accuse". Later, Brodhead apologized in a public forum for the university's "failure to reach out" in a "time of extraordinary peril". Brodhead and more than 30 other individuals were named as defendants in the lawsuit filed in 2008 by the unindicted members of the lacrosse team."Second Federal Suit Filed in Duke Lacrosse Case"
WRAL.com


Notes

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brodhead, Richard H. Presidents of Duke University Duke University faculty Yale University faculty Yale College alumni Phillips Academy alumni People from Dayton, Ohio 1947 births Living people People from Fairfield, Connecticut American university and college faculty deans Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni