Charter, bylaws, aims, and mission statement

The University's most recent charter and the current bylaws can be found in Appendix A of the Duke University Faculty Handbook, which is distributed by the Office of the Provost. See  http://www.provost.duke.edu/policies/fhb.html. Along with the charter and bylaws, this document includes the sections of James B. Duke's Indenture of Trust that concern the University.

Our first governing document, and the oldest official record in the Archives, is the Constitution of the Union Institute Society, dated February, 1839. Texts of the original state-issued charter of 1841 and amendments are available on paper here in the Archives. The texts are also available on the web site of the Department of the Secretary of State of North Carolina at http://www.secretary.state.nc.us/Corporations/CSearch.aspx . Search by corporation name "Duke University" and on the results page look for the link to "Document filings."

Duke's Aims and Mission Statement

The statement "The Aims of Duke University" which is found on the plaque in the main quad of West Campus is the first article in the bylaws of the University, and dates from 1903. The University's mission statement is a different document. It is revised periodically to meet the needs of the time, whereas bylaws are rarely changed. The mission statement will generally be found at the start of the University's strategic plan. See http://www.planning.duke.edu/ .

The "Aims" statement was not written by James B. Duke.  Duke University was created in 1924 around Trinity College, a school that the Duke family had been supporting since the late 1880s.  John C. Kilgo, our president from 1894 to 1910, is the likely author.  In 1902, Trinity's Board of Trustees asked him to prepare a major revision of the College's bylaws.  Of course, the statement then started out "The aims of Trinity College..." The wording was changed in 1924 when the University was organized. Here is the text :

The aims of Duke University are to assert a faith in the eternal union of knowledge and religion set forth in the teachings and character of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; to advance learning in all lines of truth; to defend scholarship against all false notions and ideals; to develop a Christian love of freedom and truth; to promote a sincere spirit of tolerance; to discourage all partisan and sectarian strife; and to render the largest permanent service to the individual, the state, the nation, and the church. Unto these ends shall the affairs of this University always be administered.