Jewish Baccalaureate Ceremony: Class of 2024

All family members are invited and welcome! Please include your Duke graduate in your total RSVP count.

Duke faculty and staff members are also invited to celebrate the Class of 2024.

Dress code: Business casual attire suggested. Graduates do not need to wear their graduation gowns.

The Freeman Center for Jewish Life is located at 1415 Faber Street, Durham, NC 27705.

Aaron Dinin (Trinity '05) is faculty in Duke's Innovation & Entrepreneurship program. He's one of the most read authors on Medium where he regularly writes about topics related to startups, entrepreneurship, business, and venture capital. In addition, his videos on Instagram and TikTok about teaching Duke students have been viewed by over 75 million people. Dr. Dinin has a PhD in English Literature and spent 15 years as the technical co-founder and CEO of multiple venture-back software companies.

What is a baccalaureate?

A baccalaureate service is a celebration that honors a graduating class. Historically, baccalaureate services were Christian in nature.

Duke's Jewish Baccalaureate

The first Jewish Baccalaureate at Duke started as a walk-out protest by a handful of Duke seniors in 1983. It has since transformed into an annual ceremony to recognize and celebrate the contribution of the graduating students to Duke's Jewish community, taking place in the home for Jewish Life at Duke, the Freeman Center. Remarks by Jewish Life at Duke leadership and students, a keynote speech, blessings, and presentation of gifts are included.

"Jewish students today shouldn't take for granted a wonderful event in their collegiate lives for which my classmates and I had to fight." 

-Robert Satloff, T'83, one of the organizers of the first Jewish Baccalaureate at Duke

Read the whole story here.

Parking at the Freeman Center for Jewish Life is extremely limited. We encourage you to utilize the Duke bus routes, a car-share service, your hotel shuttle, or consider walking if weather permits.

Option 1: Take the bus from Karsh Alumni & Visitors Center: Park at the Karsh Alumni & Visitors Center gravel lot and take the free C1 East-West Duke Bus to the Freeman Center for Jewish Life (2-minute bus ride or 16-minute walk).

Option 2: Very Limited Parking near the Freeman Center for Jewish Life: Limited free city parallel parking spots near the Freeman Center for Jewish Life are available along the following roads: Faber St, Powe St, Hull Ave.

Option 3: Utilize Your Hotel Shuttle or Ride-Share Service (Uber, Lyft, etc.)

Other Campus Parking Options:

• Metered parking ($2.00/hour) at the Nasher Art Museum Visitor Parking Lot. 9-minute walk or 1-minute bus ride on the C1 East-West bus.

• Paid parking ($2.00/hour) at Bryan Center Parking Deck (Parking Garage 4). 6-minute walk to West Campus Chapel (Abele Quad) bus stop, plus 5-minute bus ride on the C1 East-West bus.