CHINA: Duke Kunshan University delayed for the fifth time

Poor management and insufficient funding contributed to major construction problems that have caused the fifth significant delay of Duke Kunshan University’s opening, writes Lauren Carroll for the university newspaper The Chronicle.

The campus opening has been delayed another semester to autumn 2014.

Construction slowed almost to a full stop in 2012 despite promises of development from the Kunshan government, which manages and funds the campus construction. Currently, none of the campus’ six buildings are near completion.

Duke administrators now expect that Kunshan developers will finish two of the campus’ six buildings by Spring 2014. More significant than the delay is the difficulty Duke had working with the city of Kunshan in 2012 to get problems fixed and move construction along.