Deborah F. Rutter, the dismissed president of Trump’s Kennedy Center for in Washington, D.C., has been appointed Vice Provost for the arts at Duke.Rutter will join Duke on Sept. 1. She succeeds John Brown, who stepped down on June 30 after five years in the role.
Rutter said: “It is an immense honor to have the opportunity to now continue this work at Duke University, in partnership with its vibrant student and faculty population, as well as the greater Durham and North Carolina communities. »
From 2014 to 2025, Rutter was the first woman to serve as president of the Kennedy Center, the nation’s cultural center and living memorial to President Kennedy. Under Rutter’s leadership, the center experienced a period of transformative programmatic growth; opened the REACH, a physical expansion of the campus; and strengthened its financial position through increases in its endowment and working capital reserves.
As vice provost for the arts, Rutter will report to the provost and will be responsible for the overall direction of the arts at Duke, working collaboratively with faculty, administrators, professional staff, students and the local community.
Duke’s Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts, known as Duke Arts, champions an expansive and inclusive approach to the arts on campus, throughout Durham and beyond — showcasing creators and performers, cultivating artists and scholars, supporting the creation of new works, and ensuring that the arts are a vibrant part of a Duke education. It is home to several programs, including Duke Arts Presents, which offers up to 60 live world-class performance events per year, plus special exhibitions and installations throughout campus.
