Meet Duke Fuqua’s MBA Class Of 2025

COLLECTIVE DIVERSITY AND IMPACTFUL STEWARDSHIP

Collective Diversity – the team is stronger than the individual – also struck a chord with the Class of 2025. Christian L. Bailey-Burke believes enrichment comes from “hearing different perspectives, cultural experiences, and personalities.” More than enrichment, says Rebecca Grimesey, Collective Diversity is a way to lead.

“I am a female veteran and first-generation college student. I worked exclusively in male-dominated environments. Often being the only woman has led me to actively seek and create diverse and inclusive teams as often as possible. The most efficient way to make such a space was to find common ground with others while acknowledging our differences.”

At Fuqua, Impactful Stewardship compels MBA to give back to the larger community instead of living for themselves. For Gabrielle House, that means showing up in every part of her life. “Personally, I feel responsible for using the opportunities, experiences, and resources I have to lift and love the people around me. From volunteering and mentoring youth in my community to being a good aunt to my five nieces and nephews, nurturing others really fills my cup.”

CHOOSING WHAT’S RIGHT OVER WHAT’S EASY

Along with Impactful Stewardship, Monserrat Etcheverry also gravitates towards Loyal Community. This principle requires Team Fuqua members to ‘watch each other’s backs’ – or “putting others first” in Etcheverry’s words. That principle demands a lot – and Uncompromising Integrity may entail even more. Call it the school’s honor code, living out the right values even when they are uncomfortable and unpopular, says Henry White.

“Choosing the harder right instead of the easier wrong is a non-negotiable element of building mutual trust between teammates. As a part of Team Fuqua, you and your classmates rely on the bonds of trust formed through a commitment to integrity to deliver results and create an environment conducive to learning.”

The final Paired Principle is Authentic Engagement – or being true to yourself and being who you are around others. Leading up to business school, Zelda Hart was grappling with the career path she should take. However, she found inspiration during a session held during Blue Devil Weekend, one aptly focused on “not following the career of your roommate’s dreams.”

“To me, this speaks to the importance of Authentic Engagement,” Hart explains. “Our community’s strength is in being ourselves and pursuing our passions, and choosing a non-traditional path is welcome and encouraged. As a student, embracing “Authentic Engagement” means being intentional in how I focus my time and learning to strike a balance between saying yes to new, potentially transformative experiences and prioritizing my personal goals.”

TEAM FUQUA – AS REAL AS IT GETS

Yes, you’ll hear critics belittle Team Fuqua and the Paired Principles as a myth at best and brand puffery at worst. Ask alumni like Andrew Fischer and they won’t mince words: Team Fuqua is the real deal.

“Team Fuqua means being a part of a section of students who take core courses together, having a smaller C-LEAD team to collaborate with on projects and assignments, and the teamwork that comes with extracurricular activities. For me, Team Fuqua also means that when my partner had to fly back to Colombia on my first day of school, my C-LEAD members were there to take my dog on walks when I could not be there. Team Fuqua is the weddings, tailgates, and birthdays we have celebrated together (truly, we are talking about the witnesses on the wedding certificate!). It is the travel and meetups around the world. It is the FaceTime calls made to do mock interviews together. Team Fuqua is so much more than a slogan; it is the diversity of thoughts, experiences, and identities that connect and show up for one another in big and small ways.”

A CLASS PROFILE

As a whole, the Class of 2025 is comprised of 385 full-time MBA students. In 2023, Fuqua also ranked among the most restrictive programs, accepting just 22.1% of applicants. This class also followed a historical trend of over 50% accepted applicants ultimately joining Team Fuqua, placing it alongside the likes of MIT Sloan and Columbia Business School.

The class brings a 716 GMAT to Durham – its second-best average over the past six years – with scores ranging from 670-760 in the 80% range. True to form, over a third of the class submitted a GRE score, which hit 317 for the third consecutive year. The class average undergraduate GPA also inched up from 3.46 to 3.49, as scores ranged from 3.10-3.89 (again in the 80% range). In terms of demographics, the class hails from 51 countries, with 47% of students being international. Women account for 45% of the class, with minority students making up a 40% share.

The class also features a strong STEM representation. 37% of the class majored in Engineering or Natural Sciences as undergraduates. A 30% share hold degrees in Business and Accounting, while Liberal Arts (15%) and Economics (12%) round out the majority. In terms of professional experience, the class is closely segmented. Financial Services leads the way with 18% of the class, followed by Tech (15%), Consulting (12%), and Government (11%). The remainder of the class includes first-years with experience in Consumer Goods, Education, Energy, Healthcare, Logistics, Manufacturing, Media and Sports, Real Estate, Retail, Social Impact, and Sustainability. Another 19% of the class possess U.S. military experience with 18% identifying themselves as first-generation students.

UNDERRATED: ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND DURHAM

Thus far, Fuqua has reaped good news in 2023. In terms of starting MBA pay, the spring class saw its total starting pay climb 7.2% to $198,400. That includes base pay rising 25% over the past two years to $175,000. In the latest Financial Times ranking, Fuqua jumped eight spots to tie Chicago Booth at 11th. The school fared even better with The Princeton Review. In student surveys, Fuqua produced Top 10 scores for its Classroom Experience, Faculty, Administration, Campus Environment, and Family Friendliness – not to mention its Management and Consulting programming. When business school deans and MBA directors were surveyed by U.S. News & World Report, Fuqua notched Top 10 marks for its Marketing, Nonprofit, and Analytics programming.

That doesn’t count the school maintaining top One-Year and Executive MBA programs. However, Entrepreneurship has emerged as an underrated gem at Fuqua.  A third of the MBA electives involve entrepreneurship – and 86.6% of students took an entrepreneurship elective last year.  In fact, Fuqua’s Entrepreneurship offerings were a big reason why Ross Fly enrolled at Fuqua – and he couldn’t be happier with his decision.

“Students here are supported at every stage of the entrepreneurial journey,” Fly writes. “This includes taking courses where you start a real business, completing mentored study of under-experienced entrepreneurs, developing prototypes in one of Duke’s many innovation labs, and pursuing opportunities for post-graduation funding, Even more, Fuqua’s location in the Research Triangle gives students access to startups, VCs, maker spaces, and just about anything else you could want. My personal philosophy is that one of the best approaches to learn to lead a business is to form one yourself, and business school offers a low-stakes environment for this type of learning. I chose Fuqua for its entrepreneurial ecosystem and the ample opportunities it provides.”

That’s not the only ecosystem that MBAs will appreciate, adds alum Andrew Fischer. “Durham has a way of bringing people together and creating such joyful spaces. I particularly loved living and learning about downtown Durham. Saturday mornings in Durham are my favorite! I try to wake up early to walk my dog to Foster’s for coffee before exploring the farmers’ and artisan markets. We usually grab produce and flowers before we stop by Ninth Street Bakery for some treats. Having a day supporting local businesses, seeing families playing at the old Durham Bulls stadium, and then having excellent food after doing some local shopping, it never gets old!”

AN INTERVIEW WITH RUSS MORGAN

What’s next on the docket at Fuqua? This summer, P&Q reached out to Russ Morgan, senior associate dean for full-time programs. Here are his thoughts on the state of the MBA program.

P&Q: What have been the two most important developments in your MBA program over the past year? What type of impact will they have on current and future MBAs?

Morgan: “Our faculty continue to innovate to make sure we remain relevant for the business context our students will enter when they graduate. Our latest innovation is offering elective “short courses.” The short courses allow our students to go deep on a topic in a matter of weeks, rather than a full term. The shorter format also enables our faculty to quickly develop courses around the most relevant issues facing business today. For example, we have a short course on sustainable operations. I expect we will see more short courses this academic year. This will allow our students to tailor their experiences even more to their interests, adding to an already wide range of electives we offer.

We have hired seven new faculty members this year. They are extremely bright, energetic young scholars who are joining us from all over the world. Their research expertise is as fascinating as it is diverse. They research areas like business and politics, intellectual property, contract theory, social influence in decision-making, and machine learning—just to name a few topics. All of their work is very relevant to the issues facing business today. I have no doubt these new faculty will bring excellent insights to our students and I’m looking forward to watching the impact they will make.”

P&Q: Give us your one-minute pitch for your business school. What makes you unique?

Morgan: “Our dean is a big believer in what he calls “triple-threat leadership.” This leadership combines IQ+EQ+DQ. Many people are familiar with IQ, or intellectual capability, and EQ, emotional intelligence—but DQ, or decency quotient, means someone genuinely wants to do right by others. We believe this type of leadership is essential and a winning business strategy, as people will give leaders their best if they truly believe that person has his or her interest at heart. We not only look for students who possess the triple-threat capability in our admission process, but every part of our curriculum helps aid the development of these qualities. It’s why recruiters tell us again and again that our graduates can bring out the best in their teams and harness the power of diversity to truly innovate.”

P&Q: Sustainability has emerged as a major attraction to prospective MBA students. How does your full-time MBA program integrate sustainability across its curriculum?

Morgan: “Understanding climate challenges is critical to the success of business leaders across every sector. We are fortunate that our Center for Energy, Development, and the Global Environment (EDGE) has long led the way in educating not only our students, but MBAs across the world, in these areas. Our curriculum is designed to help MBAs understand the implications of climate and sustainability at every level of business, so that they are able to make an impact in any job – even roles that don’t have a focus specifically on sustainability or the environment.

Duke is also deeply committed to solving climate issues, so we are seeing faculty join forces in new and interesting ways to try to discover new avenues of innovation or really examine policy implications. This is also creating opportunities for our students to engage in new ways, whether it’s helping support research or attending conferences and lectures across campus that focus on different sustainability aspects. Duke has also joined the climate effort on Governors Island in New York—with our dean playing a big role—and we expect this will also create new opportunities for students.”

P&Q: Two years ago, P&Q asked you to share how you’ve integrated AI, STEM, analytics, and digital disruption into your programming. Since then, what types of enhancements have you made in these areas?

Morgan: “Our MBA program carries official Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) designation, so there is quite a bit of these areas integrated into the curriculum, as certainly understanding analytics and managing technology are now core competencies required in business. However, we are constantly evolving and updating courses to keep them relevant as the technology evolves. Part of what we want to teach our MBAs is how to think about the role of technology and human judgment. The technology will always evolve, so it’s important to not only be agile, but also a critical thinker about if and how to implement technological innovation.

There is no doubt AI is creating great disruption in business, and we are fortunate to have professors who not only research AI-related topics but also have deep ties to the industry. This keeps us at the cutting edge of these issues—as we gain insights from industry and our alumni. AI implications will be at the heart of much classroom discussion this year—and we also have professors who will be experimenting with students using AI as part of their assignments.”

Next Page: Profiles of 12 Members of the Class of 2025

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