The Sanford Student Experience

Did you know? Our Public Policy Studies major is one of the best, oldest and largest undergraduate programs in the nation, and is consistently one of the most popular majors at Duke. Our professional and graduate programs are among the best policy programs nationwide, with our Master of Public Policy program ranked in the top 10 and recently earning NASPAA accreditation.

Inside our bustling maze-like walls of the Sanford Building and next door in the impressive Rubenstein Building, what does the Sanford student experience really look like? It looks like outrageous ambition – making the world a better place. Sanford is empowering bold thinkers to create future of policy solutions.

Here is one example of our bold thinkers, Yadira Paz-Martinez PPS’25, transforming lives and communities as a student. Our students of excellence are making a difference in the world while at Duke. At the same time, they are building their skills to continue to make a difference forever.

This year, Sanford has many new student experiences adding on to the plethora of programs, initiatives, events, student organizations, internships, and research engagement we offer.

• Sanford is partnering with Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy to offer all Duke students a way to study health policy in a powerful and structured way: the Duke Undergraduate Health Policy Certificate. Duke is uniquely positioned to educate students in health policy, with our medical school, nursing school, other health and professional programs, a huge health system together with the University’s multiple majors and training programs. The health policy certificate is a great opportunity to bring all those resources together for a transformative student experience.
• Sanford is thrilled to be an active participant in Duke’s QuadEx. Faculty members Deondra Rose and Abdullah Antepli are two of the seven new Duke QuadEx Faculty Fellows. They are partnering with students to enhance intellectual life within the quad and support intellectual growth and support beyond the classroom.
• On the professional/graduate level, Sanford’s first cohort of executive Master of National Security Policy students is well under way to earning their degrees this spring. These 18 pioneering leaders are working within the Army, Navy, defense consulting, civil service, and state municipal service.

These are a handful of the many ways Sanford is building onto the student experience. After all, it is a key part of our mission: to improve lives and communities by researching the most pressing public policy issues and preparing students for lives of leadership, civic engagement and public service. Our students are the future, and we celebrate them!

Dean Judith Kelley