Sanford became a school on July 1, 2009, so this fall we're marking the 10th anniversary as a school. Previously, Sanford was organized as an interdisciplinary institute. Becoming a school raised Sanford’s profile and helped spark exciting changes and growth. To mark the occasion we’re sharing a series of stories about the last 10 years. In this story, we share a small sample of the ways in which Sanford faculty's timely and relevant work is informing policymaking.
While some of the Sanford School’s study and research takes place in far-flung locations, a great deal of our scholarship is located in North America. Faculty members research some of the most pressing issues of our time related to health, energy, the environment, media and societal concerns such as inequality, education, governance and food policy. They explore such issues in Canada and Mexico as well as in the United States.
We also have robust partnerships within our hometown, the city of Durham, N.C. For example, researchers use data provided by the school system to research vital policy questions including investment in pre-kindergarten programs.
Students have also formed an effective program in which groups of students from diverse disciplines including public policy, business and engineering team up to help a local nonprofit solve a problem. How should a nonprofit keep its volunteer data safe? How can a nonprofit best showcase its success? Each semester dozens of students are working on such practical issues.
12.04.2019
Director of the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions Tim Profeta, an associate professor at the Sanford School, will testify Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019, before the House Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. The hearing, "Building a 100 Percent Clean Economy: Solutions for Economy-Wide Deep Decarbonization," is intended to explore economy-wide solutions to addressing climate change in the United States. Profeta's testimony will focus on how Congress could use a comprehensive federal/state partnership to achieve fast and significant action that would meet the urgency and scale of the climate challenge.