History

The program is named in honor of Mr. Benjamin N. Duke, a respected leader, businessman, and philanthropist.  "Mr. Ben," as he was affectionately known, never forgot his modest beginnings in a farmhouse a few miles north of Durham, NC. As he built his fortune through various business ventures, he also became one of the biggest benefactors to Trinity College (which later became Duke University). For several years, beginning in 1892, Mr. Benjamin N. Duke provided scholarships to Trinity College for students from North Carolina.  It was his hope that an education at Trinity College would help students to “think for themselves and become leaders in the highest and best things in life.” 

 Since Benjamin N. Duke’s time, Duke University has grown into an international institution.  With students and faculty from nearly every state and many foreign countries, Duke is an established member of the international academic community.  Yet Duke and the Duke Endowment have always been aware of their roots in North and South Carolina.  Through the Benjamin N. Duke Scholars, Duke and the Duke Endowment seek to develop potential leaders from the Carolinas and contribute to the future development of the region. For more information on the Duke family and its legacy, go here.

"If Benjamin Duke had not been born, Trinity College would never have been in Durham, and Duke University would never have existed." - Vice President Robert Lee Flowers