A $5 million gift from Caryn Seidman-Becker will establish the Becker Government Leadership Initiative at the Sanford School of Public Policy to encourage and support Duke student interest in public service, especially at the federal level. The gift will create a six-year pilot program designed to identify, recruit, inspire, and support exceptional undergraduate students from their first year through graduation as they prepare for careers in federal service and leadership in public service.

Public policy is a discipline that recognizes that people want and need different things, and different policy processes can lead to dramatically different outcomes. Yet, despite these apparent differences, competing worldviews are still working towards a common goal of making the world better. It is just that the better world might look different depending on where you view it from. At a time when Americans are increasingly concerned about the tone of our political discourse, the Sanford...

“Democracy is something that people must always be doing.” With that line, three-time Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Rick Atkinson framed a March 3 conversation at Duke about the American Revolution, leadership and the enduring responsibilities of citizenship. Atkinson, this year’s Egan Professor for American Grand Strategy, joined Distinguished Lecturing Fellow John Hillen for a fireside chat in Reynolds Industries Theater hosted by the American Grand Strategy program.

Former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler (2019- 2021) and his successor Michael Regan (2021-2024) shared an enlightening and inspiring conversation moderated by Vice President & Vice Provost for Climate & Sustainability Dr. Toddi Steelman in the Karsh Alumni and Visitor Center. Taking place on January 9th, this discussion was the first installment of the Sanford School of Public Policy’s “Bridging the Divide” series, meant to “feature bipartisan dialogues with...

What makes creating policy in a democracy challenging? We asked Congressman David Price, who helped start Duke’s public policy program and represented North Carolina’s Fourth District in the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years. He is now a Professor Emeritus at Duke and a Distinguished Fellow with Polis, Duke’s Center for Politics.

“If I can get someone from being 100% opposed to 75% opposed…that’s a win.” Attorney General Jackson came well-prepared for his November 12th Sanford Distinguished Lecture, considering he brought with him a book that contained addresses from the former North Carolina Governor, Senator, and Duke President Terry Sanford. He utilized the tome to point out that then-Governor Sanford was cognizant of the dangers of gerrymandering in the future, something Jackson fought to counteract while in the...

Congressman Ro Khanna outlined a vision of economic prosperity, bipartisanship and a new generation of American political leadership in his discussion with Frank Bruni, Eugene C. Patterson professor of the practice of journalism and public policy, on Monday evening. The discussion was part of Provost Alec Gallimore’s “Independent Thinkers” speaker series and Initiative on Pluralism, Free Inquiry and Belonging, which seeks to “foster constructive conversations across diverse perspectives and...

Established and emerging environmental leaders came together Thursday for a celebration of the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability’s 20th anniversary, where University stakeholders reflected on a legacy of innovation and looked to carry the torch forward in a collective “quest for yes.” First established in 2005, the Institute has served for two decades as a hub for research, education and policy design. Since its merger with the Duke University Energy Initiative in...

"Face these times with purpose, and, to use a word that has become unfashionable in our politics these days, with hope.” Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg concluded his transformative lecture with a call to action, an obligatory call in a defining political moment to not turn apathetic but to use the lessons of history to shape the future. He emphasized that we have no excuse to be pessimistic because of the countless heroes that have faced adversity before us and the future...

In the latest episode of Sanford's Policy 360 podcast, guest John Hillen says that only a third of native-born Americans can pass the citizenship test that American immigrants are required to pass. He is part of a new bipartisan commission trying to change that. The goal is to revitalize the teaching of American civics and history.

Imagine a “typical” Carolina classroom, and you might picture students, mostly 18-22 years old, wearing hoodies or t-shirts with a UNC logo, listening to a professor who is several years their senior. The UNC School of Civic Life and Leadership (SCiLL) is changing that typical scene this summer, turning college and university faculty from around the country into students as 40 professors visit campus to learn how to teach civil discourse in their own classrooms. The faculty seminars, with...

Eleven of the 12 members of the board that oversees the Fulbright Scholars Program resigned June 11 in response to what they described as unprecedented political interference by the Trump administration. Among those who stepped down was David Price, former congressman and Polis Distinguished Fellow at the Sanford School of Public Policy.

Michael S. Regan, who recently served as the 16th Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is joining Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy as a Polis Distinguished Fellow for the upcoming 2025-2026 academic year. Regan will also be actively involved with the Civil Discourse Project (CDP) at Duke.

Danny Werfel, who recently served as the 50th Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and is a Sanford Master of Public Policy alum (MPP'97), is returning to Duke as a Polis Distinguished Fellow for the upcoming academic year. Werfel will also be actively involved with Duke's Civil Discourse Project (CDP).

Wednesday evening at Belmont University, I had the privilege of witnessing something increasingly rare: a genuine friendship navigating discourse with soul and grace. Watching Abdullah T. Antepli—Director of Polis: Center for Politics at Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy and co-founder of the groundbreaking Muslim Leadership Initiative at the Shilom Hartman Institute.

Two Duke alumni have been awarded the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship for graduate study at Stanford University. Class of 2024 graduates Chloe Nguyen and Neil Upreti have each received up to three years of financial support at Stanford University. Nguyen and Upreti are members of the eighth Knight-Hennessy cohort and are the 13th and 14th Duke student to receive the scholarship since the program welcomed its first class in 2018.

ACTA President Michael Poliakoff welcomes The Honorable John Hillen, distinguished resident fellow at the Center for Politics in Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy and an executive-in-residence of the Political Science Department. Dr. Hillen is a combat veteran and Bronze Star recipient, a former assistant U.S. secretary of state, a successful business leader, and the author of The Strategy Dialogues: A Primer on Business Strategy and Strategic Management.

Duke students gathered for a thought-provoking Civil Discourse Roundtable on immigration, co-hosted by Polis: Center for Politics, the Civil Discourse Project, Duke College Republicans, and Duke Democrats. Moderated by Professor Abdullah Antepli and Hannah Postel, the discussion provided a space for students from across the political spectrum to share personal experiences, challenge perspectives, and engage in a constructive debate on one of today’s most pressing issues.

Former U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., spoke of the importance of U.S. representatives bridging partisan divides to enact meaningful legislation during a Monday event at Duke. The conversation, titled “Bridging the Divide: A Fireside Chat,” was moderated by Provost Alec Gallimore and hosted by the Office of the Provost, the Sanford School of Public Policy and POLIS: Center for Politics.

On Wednesday, February 21st, Polis: Center for Politics hosted Polis Distinguished Fellows Huma Abedin and Reggie Love (Duke '05) to discuss their respective memoirs, Both/And and Power Forward. The evening focused on the Distinguished Fellows' pathways to politics and how they became confidantes for the prolific political figures of former President Obama and Hillary Clinton, respectively. The two reflected on their careers in politics and public service, offered advice for being a valued...

Duke’s Center for Politics and the Duke Triangle Alumni Chapter hosted an event previewing the 2024 presidential election Monday evening. The Karsh Alumni and Visitor Center had nearly every seat filled for the event, called The 2024 Election, One Year Out. The conversation was guided by journalist John Harwood, Trinity ’78, who was joined by two national political strategists, Sarah Longwell, president and CEO of Longwell Partners and publisher of The Bulwark, and Michael Podhorzer...

Miriam Sapiro has been chosen as the inaugural Polis Distinguished Fellow at Sanford’s School of Public Policy at Duke University. Ambassador Sapiro brings to Duke a wealth of experience as a senior government official and business leader. She has led teams at the White House and the State Department that addressed foreign policy, national security and economic challenges around the world. She has extensive experience working in the private sector with companies and non-governmental...