Sanford Celebrates the Class of 2025

On May 9, Sanford celebrated its Class of 2025, recognizing the achievements of its newest graduates. In a historic first for the school, the ceremony held in Cameron Indoor Stadium brought together almost 400 graduates from the undergraduate public policy major and six distinct graduate programs. Families, friends, faculty, and staff gathered to honor the graduates, who now join a global network of over 10,000 Sanford alumni making a difference in more than 100 countries.

Interim Dean Manoj Mohanan warmly welcomed the attendees, acknowledging the unique nature of the combined ceremony and expressing gratitude to the families, faculty, and staff who provided unwavering support throughout the graduates' academic journeys. He celebrated their entry into the expansive and impactful Sanford alumni community.

The commencement address was delivered by Professor Jennifer Hillman, a distinguished figure in international trade and law, currently serving as a professor of practice at Georgetown University Law Center. Professor Hillman shared her deep ties to the school's founder, noting she had "not only served as legislative director and counsel to U.S. Senator Terry Sanford... but also curated and coordinated the very gallery of his life and work that graces our main floor."

Professor Hillman began by reflecting on the nature of commencement addresses.

"Delivering a commencement address is a great responsibility; or so I thought until I cast my mind back to my own graduation," she shared. "I don't remember a single word of my own Duke commencement presidential address. Not a single one. But I remember the man who gave it. His name was Terry Sanford." This set the stage for a speech that drew heavily on Sanford's legacy.  

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She acknowledged the graduates were entering a world fraught with challenges but emphasized that this made it a "fortunate time" for them to make a profound impact, stating, "it is in this moment of crisis, of chaos... you can make a bigger difference in the world than perhaps any other class of Sanford School graduates." Professor Hillman highlighted Terry Sanford’s own career, which began in a "similar time of change," as an inspiration. She then offered three essential ingredients for the ethical leadership desperately needed today: Courage, Community, and Kindness.

On Courage, she urged graduates to have convictions, referencing the Greensboro Four and Terry Sanford's belief that "ethical leadership demands that you stand for something, even if you’re standing alone." She added, "If you never fail, you have not risked enough," and shared Michelle Obama’s advice: "Don’t ever make decisions based on fear. Make decisions based on hope and possibility…"

Regarding Community, Professor Hillman stressed its importance: "Community is where you test your ideas, where you find support, where you’re held accountable… It's how we ensure our blind spots don't become our downfalls." She noted the increased urgency of building community "in today’s world of hyperpolarization and an epidemic of loneliness."

Finally, she spoke passionately about Kindness. "Don’t mistake kindness for weakness," she declared to applause. "Kindness is the active expression of empathy. It’s the choice to see the human behind the issue, the person behind the policy." She illustrated this with a moving anecdote about Senator Sanford's profound kindness to her after a legislative setback involving the Lumbee Tribe recognition bill, a gesture that underscored his character. Professor Hillman concluded by charging the graduates to "Be the character this world is waiting for."

Susan E. Tifft Teaching and Mentoring Award

Awarded to Professor David Hoffman, Steed Family Professor of the Practice of Cyber Security. He was recognized for his inspiring teaching and dedication. One student noted, Professor Hoffman’s “passion and creativity for teaching, as well as his care for his students, is unmatched.” He is known for challenging students with innovative assignments and controversial questions, fostering critical reflection while taking “the time to support students in seemingly limitless ways.”

Richard Stubbing Graduate Mentoring and Teaching Award

Presented to Professor Mac McCorkle for his extraordinary impact on graduate students. Celebrated for his dynamic courses like "Emergency Room Policy" and "North Parkerina Politics," which impart unique, real-world skills, Professor McCorkle was lauded for his deep commitment to mentorship that extends far beyond the classroom. One student shared, “My experience, along with many others, at Sanford would not have been the same without him; I will be forever grateful to have crossed paths with the great Mac McCorkle.” Professor McCorkle was unable to attend but was set to receive the award later.

Joel Fleishman Distinguished Scholars

Celebrating the highest academic achievement among public policy majors, this award was presented to six exceptional graduates: Davis Beischer, Miles Cooperman, Kathryn Kotler, Thomas Newberry, Alice Qin, and Rebecca Rosenzweig. The presentation was accompanied by a poignant musical tribute to the late Joel Fleishman, the founding director of what became the Sanford School, featuring an excerpt from Mozart’s String Quartet No. 4, one of his favorite pieces.

Best Honors Thesis 

Anushri Saxena received this distinction for her thesis, “Crisis Pregnancy Centers Post-Roe v Wade: Correlates of State Variation in Anti-Abortion Fake Clinics.” Her research was praised as a "novel and sophisticated exploration" of such high caliber that it promises to "make an immediate contribution to our scholarly understanding of the field and be immediately useful to policymakers."

Nationally Competitive Scholarships

Five undergraduate students were honored for winning prestigious national scholarships: Dena Levin, Rakshita Ramaskrishna, Yadira Paz-Martinez, Coral Lin, and Velda Wang.

Undergraduate Class Speakers

Twins Grace Hayward and Olivia Hayward were acknowledged as the undergraduate class speakers, their address made available to attendees via a QR code in the program. (Watch their talk.)

Terry Sanford Leadership Award

Presented to Chloe Decker for consistently embodying Terry Sanford’s "outrageous ambition" in leadership and service. Her impactful contributions include chairing Duke Votes, serving as President of the Duke Public Policy Majors Union, and acting as Attorney General of Duke Student Government, alongside her leadership in the classroom. (Watch video profile.)

In his poignant closing remarks, Interim Dean Mohanan reminded the graduates of Terry Sanford’s enduring vision: "In a time when problems of our society are so complex, when its future hinges not on conserving the status quo but in the development of major changes, we cannot afford to graduate students who will just 'fit into place.' We must aspire instead to develop in our students the brain and the heart and the nerve to lead the kind of life that will make a creative difference."

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Dean Mohanan emphasized the profound significance of the current global landscape, declaring it a "Kairos moment"—an opportune and critical time for policy leaders to forge solutions.

Echoing Winston Churchill, he charged the graduates: "To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing... What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour."

He assured the Class of 2025, "You ARE prepared. You ARE qualified... THIS can be your finest hour."  

The 2025 Sanford commencement ceremony was a heartfelt celebration of a diverse and talented cohort of graduates. Armed with the tenets of adaptability, curiosity, and agility fostered at Sanford, they step forward into a world eagerly awaiting their leadership and their commitment to making a creative difference. Congratulations to the Sanford School Class of 2025!