Spot where Robert E. Lee statue stood at Duke Chapel to remain vacant

Price appointed a commission to recommend how to handle similar "issues of memorialization on campus" and a potential use for the vacant niche where Lee's statue had stood. He said he also heard proposals from numerous individuals and groups about putting a statue of someone else there or to simply leave the site empty.

"As Dean of Duke Chapel Rev. Luke Powery suggested almost a year ago, the empty space might represent 'a hole that is in the heart of the United States of America, and perhaps in our own human hearts – that hole that is from the sin of racism and hatred of any kind,'" Price said in an email to Duke students and staff. "I have concluded that Dean Powery’s suggestion is the right one, particularly when combined with the placement of a plaque in the foyer of Duke Chapel that explains why the space is empty. It will provide a powerful statement about the past, the present and our values."

To honor people from Duke's past "whose contributions and talents have been marginalized or even ignored," he has asked an advisory committee to find an appropriate place on campus "to give recognition to those individuals whose labor was the foundation of the wealth that created Duke University and whose hands built our campus."

The committee also will recommend a way to honor Duke's first African-American students, "whose courage and initiative marked a turning point in Duke’s history, helping the university to grow into the diverse community that it is today," Price said.

The university also will establish a "living museum" that will include rotating exhibits dedicated to the history of Duke.

"As we begin this new semester, I hope these actions will help us build on the work of faculty, students, staff and administrators who responded to the challenge of last August by learning, debating and advocating for Duke to more fully live up to its values," Price said in his email.