How can we make a difference?
That's our guiding question. The community at Sanford is eager to work with practitioners and policy makers.
Lead & Serve
In the true spirit of our founder, Terry Sanford, our students are dedicated to leading and serving society. We aspire to create innovative solutions for challenging problems. Here are a few examples of initiatives that support our students in becoming leaders in their communities.
POLIS: CENTER FOR POLITICS
Democracy is not a spectator sport. Polis is dedicated to stimulating greater student interest and engagement in politics and to improving political processes in North Carolina, the United States and the world. The center offers leadership training with workshops like "Campaign Training for Women," and Political Participation Boot Camps. They also offer Policy Lab, a project-based course in which teams of students devise innovative solutions to the major political challenges of our time.
HART LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
The Hart Leadership Program is offered to all Duke University undergraduates, including public policy students. With guidance from innovative faculty, it challenges students to practice the art of leadership in public life. The program serves students through four channels:
- Courses give students analytical frameworks for grappling with the problems facing our global community.
- Immersion experiences outside the classroom help student see how policy works in the real world.
- Writing and discussions challenge students to reflect critically on their experiences and make sense of them.
- One-on-one mentoring helps students develop the skills, confidence and motivation to translate their learning into action.
SANFORD BOARD LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE
The Sanford Board Leadership Initiative (SBLI) places Duke Masters in Public Policy students as non-voting members on local nonprofit leadership boards for one calendar year. This partnership offers nonprofits strategic support from graduate students with policy-specific knowledge and the opportunity for students to learn about nonprofit governance. A competitive application process determines which graduate students can participate each year.
Sanford Board Leadership Initiative - Student Perspective
"The Sanford Board Leadership Initiative gave me the opportunity to gain practical experience in nonprofit management and is a unique opportunity to apply the technical skills I’ve learned in class. I’ve been able to deepen my understanding of unique needs within the community through the Hillsborough Arts Council while fostering meaningful relationships with board members who have become valuable mentors. " - Laila Issa, MPP'25
Terry Sanford Leadership Award
The Sanford School of Public Policy honors leadership with the Terry Sanford Leadership Award for undergraduates. The award is given to one or two students each year.
Meet the 2024 winner of the Terry Sanford Leadership Award.
Meet the 2024 winner of the Terry Sanford Leadership Award.