— In a letter to students, faculty and staff, Duke University President Vincent Price announced Monday that the Durham campus would be totally smoke-free effective July 1, 2020. The new policy will allow the use of e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco and smoking cessation aids that contain nicotine. Duke stores will cease the sale of tobacco products by July 1 of this year.

"We are implementing the policy over more than two years in order to allow sufficient time and opportunity for members of our community to seek support and treatment to stop smoking," Price wrote.

Duke University traces its history back to Randolph County in 1838, but the current name comes from James B. Duke, who made his fortune in tobacco before founding Duke Power Company, which became Duke Energy. In 1924, after Duke made several generous gifts to then-Trinity College, the trustees there agreed to change the name of their institution to Duke University.