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...

On Saturday, Friends of Duke hosted a panel of professors, administrators and athletes to discuss the funding of college athletics vs. academics in the wake of financial vulnerability and seismic shifts across athletic department budgets. The panel, called “The New Arms Race: Are We Funding College Athletics at the Expense of Academics?,” was hosted by Sue Wasiolek, the longtime former Dean of Students and current adjunct associate professor in Duke’s Civil Discourse Project.

“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...

On Wednesday evening, members of the Duke community joined POLIS for a discussion exploring the question: "Why Public Service?" The conversation, moderated by Sanford Professor of the Practice Jenni Owen, featured POLIS Distinguished Fellows Dr. John Hillen, a former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State and decorated combat veteran; Michael Regan, former EPA Administrator; and Danny Werfel, former IRS...

“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...

"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...

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.

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...