Polis: Center for Politics

Polis: Center for Politics Polis seeks to inspire and empower students to engage in political life in all its forms and improve democratic processes in the U.S. and around the world.

Polis (pä-ləs) seeks to engage the Duke community in meeting a great challenge of our time: restoring the health of our politics. Gridlock in Washington, hyper-partisanship, vitriolic discourse, the pervasive influence of money and other pathologies of contemporary politics have bred widespread cynicism about politics, politicians and public servants. Duke students are idealists, but it is not sur

prising that many are deeply disenchanted with politics and increasingly look outside of government for solutions to society’s problems. Social enterprises, non-profit organizations, private philanthropy and other non-governmental institutions can create great value for society, but a healthy democracy is the foundation on which the very nature of this is society built. A strong democracy requires informed and inspired young people engaged in political life, as active citizens, advocates, policy experts, organizers, journalists, teachers, and political candidates. We want students to look beyond cynicism and dysfunction and once again view politics and public service as a viable and desirable path for improving the lives of their fellow citizens.

On January 9, the Sanford School of Public Policy Executive Master of Public Affairs program and Polis: Center for Polit...
01/27/2026

On January 9, the Sanford School of Public Policy Executive Master of Public Affairs program and Polis: Center for Politics’ Civil Discourse Project at the Sanford School of Public Policy hosted the first Bridging the Divide lecture of 2026, featuring former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrators Michael Regan and Andrew Wheeler. Wheeler, now Holland & Hart partner and Head of Federal Affairs. The event was moderated by Duke Vice President and Vice Provost for Climate and Sustainability Toddi Steelman, the discussion centered on environmental protection in the context of a 250-year arc of American history; achievements during their respective tenures in the Trump and Biden administrations; and how they steered the agency through criticism and disagreement to advance the core mission of the EPA.

NEW LOCATION!!!Join us on Wednesday, November 19 in Sanford 04 for a lively conversation among our Distinguished Fellows...
11/18/2025

NEW LOCATION!!!

Join us on Wednesday, November 19 in Sanford 04 for a lively conversation among our Distinguished Fellows as they discuss the joys and challenges of working for the government. Each fellow brings a unique perspective from his time in Washington - Former US Assistant Secretary of State John Hillen served in the Bush administration on Political-Military Affairs; Michael Regan served as the 16th Administrator for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Danny Werfel was the 50th Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

This discussion will be moderated by Jenni Owen, Professor of the Practice at the Sanford School of Public Policy. Register below!
https://tr.ee/OabgbfoY5X

Join the Office of the Provost, Sanford School of Public Policy, American Grand Strategy, and Polis: Center for Politics...
11/10/2025

Join the Office of the Provost, Sanford School of Public Policy, American Grand Strategy, and Polis: Center for Politics on Monday, November 10 at 6:00 p.m. in Pen Pavilion for a conversation with Professor Frank Bruni and Representative
Ro Khanna.

Ro Khanna is in his fifth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, serving the California congressional district that includes Silicon Valley. He was a national co-chair of Sen. Bernie Sanders’s 2020 presidential campaign. And he’s a leading Democratic spokesperson who has appeared frequently on Fox News as well as MSNBC.https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8tULgmq9nFx36ui

Join the Office of the Provost, Sanford School of Public Policy, American Grand Strategy, and Polis: Center for Politics...
11/10/2025

Join the Office of the Provost, Sanford School of Public Policy, American Grand Strategy, and Polis: Center for Politics on Monday, November 10 at 6:00 p.m. in Pen Pavilion for a conversation with Professor Frank Bruni and Representative
Ro Khanna.

Ro Khanna is in his fifth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, serving the California congressional district that includes Silicon Valley. He was a national co-chair of Sen. Bernie Sanders’s 2020 presidential campaign. And he’s a leading Democratic spokesperson who has appeared frequently on Fox News as well as MSNBC. https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8tULgmq9nFx36ui

Professor Deondra Rose is the new QuadEx Faculty Fellow at Crowell Quad! Through the QuadEx model, she looks forward to...
08/30/2022

Professor Deondra Rose is the new QuadEx Faculty Fellow at Crowell Quad! Through the QuadEx model, she looks forward to being a source of support to students as they make their way through their Duke experience. Duke University Student Affairs

Join us on 9/8 to hear from social justice and civil rights scholars and advocates as they discuss the intersection of v...
08/30/2022

Join us on 9/8 to hear from social justice and civil rights scholars and advocates as they discuss the intersection of voting, civil disobedience, and environmental justice! Link in Bio. Kenan Institute for Ethics Duke Human Rights Center at the Franklin Humanities Institute Sanford School of Public Policy Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke

If you are looking for a group that offers transformative political conversations, leadership development opportunities,...
08/29/2022

If you are looking for a group that offers transformative political conversations, leadership development opportunities, the chance to connect with inspiring political leaders, and the opportunity to be a part of a vibrant community that cares about politics, democracy, and public service, the Polis Student Committee is for you!

Link: https://polis.duke.edu/student-committee/

Check out Op-eds by students like Jessica On at the Polis Medium Blog. https://medium.com/ We will be posting student vo...
05/26/2022

Check out Op-eds by students like Jessica On at the Polis Medium Blog. https://medium.com/
We will be posting student voices regularly, so make sure to keep coming back for more amazing pieces from the students of
Sanford School of Public Policy!

For those of you still in NC or registered to vote in NC, here is the voting information for Duke! Make sure to vote in ...
05/11/2022

For those of you still in NC or registered to vote in NC, here is the voting information for Duke! Make sure to vote in your state's Primary Election. Go to https://vote.duke.edu for more info!

Address

201 Science Drive
Durham, NC
27708

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Polis: Center for Politics posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share