STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford and Duke have announced a joint civic engagement initiative, providing student-athletes with an enriching academic engagement experience abroad.
Scheduled to begin in the summer of 2016, the project is being made possible through the vision and generosity of David Rubenstein and Peter and Helen Bing.
The Rubenstein-Bing Student-Athlete Civic Engagement Program (ACE), will offer student-athletes from both institutions the chance to volunteer together in South Africa, Vietnam, China and India. Through three-week summer service assignments, student-athletes will have opportunities otherwise not afforded to them during the school year due to academic and athletic responsibilities.
ACE is a collaboration between the Duke and Stanford athletic departments, as well as the Haas Center for Public Service and DukeEngage.
"Stanford is thrilled to partner with Duke in this unique educational opportunity,” said Bernard Muir, the Jaquish & Kenninger Director of Athletics at Stanford. “The lessons learned through this program will enable our student-athletes to form a heightened level of social awareness while making positive contributions in their pursuit of lifelong productivity.”
A committee comprised of athletic administrators, ACE program staff and civic engagement staff from both universities will manage the selection process, with the goal of 40 student-athletes (20 from Stanford, 20 from Duke) participating each summer.
A Baltimore native, 1970 graduate of Duke and the current chair of the university’s Board of Trustees, Rubenstein is co-founder and managing director of The Carlyle Group, a global alternative asset manager. He is also an active civic leader and serves on numerous boards, including those of the Smithsonian Institution, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Chicago, the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Kennedy Center and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Rubenstein and his wife, Alice Rogoff Rubenstein, have three children.
Peter Bing, ’55, has a long record of service to Stanford, including more than 30 years as a university trustee. He and his wife, Helen, are also among the university’s most loyal and generous supporters.
The program will be housed at the DukeEngage office on the Duke campus. The ACE application will be available in mid-January and consist of short-answer questions and a coach’s recommendation. Applications are due Feb. 3 at 12 p.m. PT. For additional details please visit ace.stanford.edu.
