Worlds Within a City: How Duke University’s Setting Constructs Institutional Identity

Publication Date

4-20-2026

Authors

• Comeh Emuobor, University of New Hampshire, Durham

Abstract

Comeh is a junior communication major from Durham, North Carolina. He is also a guard on the UNH Basketball team.

his piece explores how Duke university’s campus setting shapes its public image and institutional identity. It explains how the university’s landscaping, architecture, Chapel, interior and exterior spaces, and controlled access create an atmosphere of prestige, tradition, exclusivity, and academic authority. Furthermore, this essay shows how Duke’s physical environment separates it from the surrounding city and functions as a powerful public relations tool.

Recommended Citation

Emuobor, Comeh (2026) "Worlds Within a City: How Duke University’s Setting Constructs Institutional Identity," Comm-entary: Vol. 22: Iss. 1, Article 7.
Available at: https://scholars.unh.edu/comm-entary/vol22/iss1/7