Duke University

Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James Buchanan Duke established The Duke Endowment, prompting the institution to change its name in honor of his deceased father, Washington Duke.

The University is organized into two undergraduate, ten graduate and professional schools, and seven institutes. In its 2011 edition, U.S. News & World Report ranked the university's undergraduate program 9th among national universities, while ranking the medical, law, public affairs, nursing and business graduate programs all among the top 12 in the United States. In the 2010 QS World University Rankings, Duke ranked 14th worldwide. Duke's research expenditures are among the largest ten in the nation.Competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Duke's athletic teams have won twelve national championships, including four by its men's basketball team.