Sanford School Inaugural Year

The Sanford School of Public Policy sprang from the vision and leadership of its founder, Terry Sanford. As President of Duke University, Sanford believed a powerful measure of any great university is its capacity to make research relevant to real-world problems.

From his experience as Governor of North Carolina and U.S. Senator, Sanford knew that government sorely needs people of passion and purpose. People who care. People with sharp, analytical minds and the practical skills to transform ideas into policies. In 1971, Terry Sanford launched Duke’s public policy program in order to educate this kind of pragmatic, ethical leader.

Nearly forty years later, our public policy program continues to grow in remarkable ways, including becoming Duke’s tenth School on July 1, 2009: the Sanford School of Public Policy.

To mark this important transition, we invite you to join us at some of the many special events scheduled throughout the year. These will include a weekend of special events in October, an exhibit of the life of Terry Sanford, service opportunities, influential guest speakers and more. 

If you were not able to join us in celebrating our new status as Duke’s 10th School during the Inaugural Weekend Celebration on campus, starting Thursday, October 1st and wrapping up Saturday, October 3rd, you will find photographs and video of the events here.

Bruce R. Kuniholm

Bruce R. Kuniholm
Dean, Sanford School