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Duke’s timeline for selecting merit scholarship recipients is changing — and current scholars are frustrated.

The Office of University Scholars and Fellows informed merit scholars in a January email that Duke would be moving to a “post-matriculation” model of selection. Under the new model, OUSF will notify merit scholarship finalists in May after the University has finalized enrollment for the Class of 2028.

The new timeline means that admitted students in the Class of 2028 must commit to Duke before learning whether they have been awarded a merit scholarship.

“An updated selection process will enable us to keep up with changes in the admissions and financial aid landscapes, meet our enrollment goals and fully focus on supporting our current merit scholars,” wrote Mark Dudley, director of merit scholarship programs, in an email to The Chronicle.

“In the past few years, meeting our enrollment goals has proved challenging as our yield rates for Regular Decision admits have varied considerably and unpredictably,” he added.

The changes come as Duke faces increased scrutiny for its lack of socioeconomic diversity. In September, The New York Times Magazine published an article revealing that Duke enrolls fewer low-income students than other elite universities.

Current merit scholars fear that the new selection timeline will add to the problem.

“I think it's just shifting the whole selection process in the wrong direction,” said sophomore and University Scholar Sarah Gorbatov. “It’s preventing people from underserved communities [from choosing] Duke — which is normally a very expensive institution — over, say, their state school.”

Many of Duke’s merit scholarships, including the University Scholarship, are awarded partly on the basis of financial need.

OUSF does not believe the new selection timeline will affect whether low-income students commit to Duke, pointing to the University’s expanded financial aid programs.

“Initiatives like Duke meeting 100% of a family’s demonstrated need, our commitment to supporting incoming students from North and South Carolina, and expanded engagement with the QuestBridge program have broadened Duke’s need-based financial support offerings,” Dudley wrote.

In January, OUSF offered Q&A sessions for scholars to learn about the changes. But some attendees, including sophomore and University Scholar Nathan Maldonado, did not walk away satisfied.

“They said the decision to move forward with the post-matriculation model was made with the approval of Duke Endowment Office, the Office of Undergraduate Education, the Provost office [and in consultation with] staff, directors, peer institutions, national associations and recommendations,” Maldonado said. “Nowhere in that did I see that they contacted any scholar.”

“I can tell you right now that I would not be here if it weren't for the scholarship, if I had to wait to find out after the fact that Duke was ready to take a risk on me before I was,” he added.

Other scholars echoed Maldonado’s concerns.

“If this change was implemented maybe a year prior then I personally would not be at Duke,” sophomore and University Scholar Karen Dong said.

Since January, merit scholars and alumni have been attempting to reverse the changes through emails and letters to the administration.

“It's kind of like you're just talking to a wall,” Dong said. “The University has already made up their mind, and … nothing that we do is going to actually make them reconsider.”

OUSF argues that under the new model, the University will “be able to select merit scholars who embody the varied characteristics and experiences that comprise the Duke student body.”

“Our selection goals and process remain aligned with Duke’s unwavering commitment to identify and support an equitable student body of talented, high-achieving and deserving students,” Dudley wrote.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Economic Investment Committee (NCEIC) ended yet another Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) on Tuesday after a Durham firm said it couldn’t create the 878 jobs promised under the agreement.

BioAgilytix Labs, LLC, a life science testing company that was founded in Durham in 2008 and is headquartered there, was due to receive up to $18,885,000, spread over 12 years if they held up their end of the agreement that was announced in October 2020.

The company didn’t receive any money through the grant program.

The expansion was proposed to help the company meet increased demand from its customer base.

Reports say it is now having trouble hiring new employees due to a downturn in biotech funding over the last two years.

BioAgilytix Labs, LLC also has laboratory locations in the Cambridge area of Massachusetts and Hamburg, Germany. It specializes in large molecule bioanalysis and supports the development and release testing of biologics across several industries and disease states.

As part of the JDIG agreement, the company planned to invest $61.5 million in Durham.

Over the 12-year term of the grant, the project was estimated to grow the state’s economy by $2.8 billion, with state tax revenues to exceed $58.8 million.

The average salary of $96,477 would have brought a payroll impact of $84.7 million to the region each year. The average wage in Durham County in 2020 was $71,756.

BioAgilytix’s JDIG agreement could have moved as much as $6,295,000 into the state’s Industrial Development Fund – Utility Account for use by rural communities elsewhere in the state. The Utility Account helps finance necessary infrastructure upgrades in more economically challenged areas of the state to attract future business.

The latest announcement comes after state officials terminated three more incentive packages worth millions of dollars and 1,000 potential new jobs last month.

NCEIC officials cancelled packages for Clorox Services Company, Syneos Health, and Service Offsite Solutions because they couldn’t produce the jobs required to qualify for the Job Development Investment Grants (JDIG) that they were to receive.

The cancellations are the latest in a series of terminations by the state for the JDIG program, which doesn’t have a good track record when it comes to “promised job creation and investment targets.”

In January, Bandwidth, a Raleigh-based communications software company, had its JDIG agreement terminated by NCEIC for not following through on its required hiring goals as part of the agreement.

Bandwidth notified the department in early January. The company said the withdrawal would give it greater flexibility for workplace planning.

A growing number of recent agreement terminations have prompted calls to terminate the JDIG program.

DURHAM – No. 11 Duke steps back into ACC play this weekend hosting No. 9 Virginia at Jack Coombs Field. The series is scheduled for a Thursday to Saturday slate, with first pitch on Thursday set for 6 p.m.

Parking is slated for the Grounds Lot and Science Drive Garage this weekend and fans are encouraged to purchase tickets online to avoid the lines.

Duke baseball is giving away the first set of baseball cards on Friday against Virginia, as part of a four-set series. On Saturday, kids will be able to run the bases following the conclusion of the game.

Duke in the Polls D1Baseball – 11 NCBWA – 13 USA Today Coaches Poll – 13 Baseball America – 11 Perfect Game – 11

THURSDAY (3/28) #11 Duke vs. #9 Virginia 6 p.m. (ET) – Jack Coombs Field VIDEO – ACCNX Duke – LHP – Jonathan Santucci Virginia – RHP – Cullen McKay

FRIDAY (3/29) #11 Duke vs. #9 Virginia 6 p.m. (ET) – Jack Coombs Field VIDEO – ACCNX Duke – RHP – Ryan Higgins Virginia – LHP – Evan Blanco

SATURDAY (3/30) #11 Duke vs. #9 Virginia 1 p.m. (ET) – Jack Coombs Field VIDEO – ACCNX Duke – TBA – TBA Virginia – TBA – TBA

QUICK HITS

For more information on Duke baseball, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "DukeBASE".

Duke Centennial In 2024, Duke celebrates its Centennial, marking one hundred years since Trinity College became Duke University. Duke will use this historic milestone to deepen the understanding of its history, inspire pride and strengthen bonds and partnerships, and prepare for a second century of continued excellence and impactful leadership. To learn more, please visit 100.duke.edu

#GoDuke

DURHAM – Duke head coach Robbie Church and the Blue Devil women's soccer program are excited to announce the trio of Nicky Chico, Maggie Graham and Katie Groff will return for a fifth and final season with the Blue Devils in 2024.

All three have an extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We're very, very fortunate to have these really outstanding young ladies returning to our program," said Church. "All three of them have done such a great job on the field, in the classroom and in the community representing our program over the years. To bring that type of experience back, character and drive to be leaders in our program -- it's just invaluable. The coaching staff enjoys being around them every single day. They bring positive attitudes and they work extremely hard in everything they do, both on and off the field. They're a big part of our program. So, we're very, very fortunate to have them come back and we look forward to them being a part of a team that we think has really made some huge strides in the spring season."

Tri-captains this past season, the Duke trio have combined to see action in 12,407 minutes, appeared in 203 matches, made 129 starts, scored 15 goals, notched 16 assists and posted 46 points over the last four seasons with the Blue Devils. Chico, Graham and Groff have helped Duke win 49 matches, advance to three NCAA Elite Eight appearances and helped the Blue Devil defense tally 40 shutouts during their careers.

Chico, who hails from Wyckoff, N.J., entered the starting lineup as a senior making 12 starts and appearing in 14 matches on the defensive end. She helped lead the Blue Devils to six shutouts, while tallying an assist in a league match at Boston College. Over her career, Chico has started 18-of-54 matches. She will be obtaining a Master of Management Studies at Duke Fuqua School of Business in 2024-25.

A three-year starter for the Blue Devils, Groff has seen action at both the midfield and defensive positions over her Duke career playing in over 5,200 minutes. She has started 61-of-70 matches and helped lead the Blue Devils to 40 clean sheets over that time. Groff, a native of Raleigh, N.C., has scored two goals in each of her last three seasons, while registering five assists for 17 points. She will be enrolled in the Duke Continuing Education Studies in the fall of 2024.

Graham has been a stalwart for Duke in the midfield since arriving on campus. She has started 50-of-70 matches and seen action in over 4,700 minutes. Graham, who is from Atlanta, Ga., is one of only 44 players in Blue Devil history to register at least one goal in each of her four seasons. She has totaled eight goals, 10 assists and 26 points, while netting three game-winning goals. Graham will be obtaining a Master of Public Policy at Duke in 2024.

To stay up to date with Blue Devils women's soccer, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWSOC".

Duke Centennial In 2024, Duke celebrates its Centennial, marking one hundred years since Trinity College became Duke University. Duke will use this historic milestone to deepen the understanding of its history, inspire pride and strengthen bonds and partnerships, and prepare for a second century of continued excellence and impactful leadership. To learn more, please visit 100.duke.edu

#GoDuke

Nine months after beginning construction near Siler City, the Durham semiconductor chipmaker Wolfspeed celebrated a milestone Tuesday at its future $5 billion plant in western Chatham County.

U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis joined Wolfspeed executives for a “topping out” ceremony, a builder tradition symbolizing when the final structural beam is placed.

Nicknamed “the JP” after the company’s late cofounder John Palmour, the factory is expected to eventually employ around 1,800 workers, roughly 150 of whom Wolfspeed says it has already hired. The company expects to open the JP later this year.

Erecting a facility of this size (it covers more than 1 million square feet.) within a year was unusually quick, both the company and Tillis acknowledged.

“I asked them during the tour, ‘How was the permitting process?’ because this just doesn’t come up,” Tillis told The News & Observer in an interview after the event. “They were saying great things about state government and really facilitating the process.”

Whiting-Turner was the construction contractor on the project, and its CEO, Tim Regan, also noted the project’s unprecedented speed, telling the gathered audience he’d never witnessed this much work “done in such a short period of time.” While Wolfspeed’s Durham headquarters has been the site of two fatal accidents within the past two years, Regan praised the Chatham construction for being completed with “a laser focus on safety.”

Wolfspeed executives say demand for its patented silicon carbide has necessitated the fast construction, which started in June. Silicon carbide chips are unique alternatives to traditional silicon chips, a substitute Wolfspeed boasts provides more efficient performance when powering electric vehicles, telecommunication devices, and energy storage units among other appliances.

The company, which has evolved in recent years from lighting to chips, currently grows silicon carbide crystals at its Durham facility where it converts the material into blank wafers. Wolfspeed then either sells these wafers to other manufacturers or ships them to its fabrication facility in New York State’s Mohawk Valley.

Once complete, the Siler City site will expand Wolfspeed’s wafer production by a factor of 10, company officials say.

“This is going to be the lifeblood for all of our sites,” said Shawn Lilly, director of facilities at Wolfspeed’s headquarters near Research Triangle Park.

Silicon carbide crystals require extremely hot temperatures to form, around 2500 degrees Celsius, which the company points out is nearly half the temperature of the sun. Elif Balks, the chipmaker’s chief technology officer, said some furnaces are already in place at the Chatham plant.

On an investor call last month, Wolfspeed CEO Gregg Lowe said the Siler City factory will begin producing silicon carbide wafers in the first half of next year.

In September 2022, the N.C. Department of Commerce awarded the company a $76.1 million job development investment grant, or JDIG, to build a materials factory in Chatham County. To benefit from the full financial package, Wolfspeed must create at least 1,802 jobs over five years from 2026 to 2030. The minimum average wage will be $77,753, officials said. Wolfspeed also must retain the 3,023 positions it already had in the state.