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Faculty Give Conditional Approval to Public Policy School

Sanford faculty support new initiative

Plans for transforming the Terry Sanford Institute for Public Policy into Duke's 10th school received conditional approval Thursday from the Academic Council.

The council, which had previously discussed the plans, approved without dissent a resolution endorsing the creation of a new school, dependent upon the school raising $40 million before the end of the 2008-09 fiscal year.

The resolution was not a formal approval of the proposal, and the council left open the possibility of further review down the road, but Council Chair Paul Haagen said the review would be limited to questions of whether anything had occurred in the interim period that altered the rationale for the school.

Faculty in the Sanford Institute and the Department of Public Policy Studies support the creation of the new school. Supporters say a public policy school is important if the university wants to fulfill its strategic goal of affecting debate on society's most significant problems. Creation of the new school would attract more faculty and resources, allow Duke to become a leader in public policy studies and enhance Duke's efforts to develop programs that generate "knowledge in the service of society."