Meanwhile, Duke University lowered its budget(125 million) for the campus in Durham. The main investment for Duke Kunshan came from Duke University’s business school and the university’s strategic investment fund. In the first six years, Duke University hoped to invest an annual budget of $3 million to $8 million.

　　After 18 months of negotiation, Duke University finally passed the proposition of Duke Kunshan in 2011. At the end of that year, Duke University’s academic committee voted (44:8) on the decision to authorize Fuqua School of Business at Duke Kunshan University with the right to hold the master degree of management studies.

　　In August 2012, the ministry of education approved the construction of Duke Kunshan. And after 12 months, the ministry officially approved its establishment. The university now offers four master degrees, including environmental policy, medical physics, global health, and management studies, and has set up global health research center, environmental research center, WHU-DUKE research institute etc.

　　In August 2014, Duke Kunshan held its very first school opening ceremony. The terrifying Zhongrong explosion incident also took place during that period.

　　Out of the ivory tower

　　Gao Haiyan was a crazed Yue opera fan in middle school. She even wanted to join the Yue opera company when taking the college entrance exam. At that time, she would never have thought that she would become the department head of Physics after Professor Henry Newson, and later the vice president of Duke Kunshan.

　　Gao Haiyan went to California Institute of Technology after graduating from Tsinghua University to further her studies. She was once confused as well, didn’t have a clear vision for her future. But what she knew was that she loved physics and she wanted to get a Ph.D and work in an university. That was Gao Haiyan in the 90s.

　　With the goal of spearheading the future of higher education, Duke Kunshan University is influenced and informed by both Chinese and American traditions of higher education. The shared vision of Duke University and Wuhan University is that Duke Kunshan will help address the changing needs of global higher education. Their rich heritage inspires Duke Kunshan University to pursue academic excellence and integrity and to apply classroom knowledge in service to society.

　　The establishment of the master degrees at Duke Kunshan was not job-oriented. Instead, the university hopes to inspire students to master academically rigorous course work, generate new ideas and develop creative solutions to the world’s challenges, preparing them not just for careers in specific fields, but to become globally sophisticated leaders and citizens. However, the higher education environment in China is turning more and more realistic and pragmatic. Can Duke Kunshan achieve its ideal goal?

　　Gao Haiyan told TMTPost that besides training students to have a global outlook and open mindset, the university has two undergraduate curriculums: 4+1 and 3+1+1. To put it simply, after five years of studies, undergraduates at Duke Kunshan would be able to acquire a bachelor degree and a master degree(one year).

　　During the past two decades, more and more young people are choosing computer science and economics as their major, while putting physics and mathematics etc. on the cold bench. When Gao Haiyan was still in the U.S, she thought that such tendency was very common. She believes that as science and technology develop, things will gradually change.

　　“For instance, in physics, the demand for the particle detection capability of detector is getting higher,” Professor Gao Haiyan said, illustrating her point with an example. “With the demand comes breakthroughs in technology, which will eventually bring about new applications.” The development of business and technology is reliant on fundamental science research. And such belief is even more evident in Duke Kunshan’s medical and health programs.

　　“The country needs different talents. We should encourage children to make their own exploration, and they will find what they love,” Gao Haiyan told TMTPost, believing that young people’s curiosity and career needs will only be satisfied when they choose the major they are interested in.

　　In Duke Kunshan, Canyon Dell'Omo is one of those young people that are into technology and architect.

　　This 20-year-old Kanye West fan loves to expressing his feelings with some f-word expression. Canyon first studied bioengineering for three semesters and then transferred to biology. On one hand, he thought that the former major was too theoretical and he didn’t have much time to invest into academic studies since he started his own company WorkerSense.

　　Canyon Dell'Omo