Rubenstein donates $10 million to the Sanford School of Public Policy

Duke trustee David Rubenstein, Trinity ’70, will gift $10 million to the Sanford School of Public Policy, according to a Duke news press release.

This is the largest donation ever given to Sanford, and it will be used to fund graduate fellowships, undergraduate internships and establish a fund to increase the school’s engagement with public policy.

"We are profoundly grateful to David Rubenstein for his continued generosity to Duke,” President Richard Brodhead said in the release. "This gift reflects Duke’s highest priorities—it helps talented students afford a Duke education, it expands opportunities for students to apply their knowledge in service to society and it ensures that the Sanford School of Public Policy continues to contribute policy expertise toward addressing the world’s complex problems."

The gift is part of the Duke Forward campaign to raise $3.25 billion throughout the University.  In December 2012, Rubenstein committed $10 million to Duke's athletic departments. He also contributed $13.6 million to Duke Libraries to support the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library. According to the release, in total, Rubenstein has donated over $50 million to the University.

Of Rubenstein’s contribution to Sanford, $6 million will fund the David M. Rubenstein Fellowships for Master of Public Policy candidates. These students are selected because they have demonstrated a commitment to public service. Another $2 million of his donation will fund internships for undergraduate public policy students, and the remaining $2 million will create the David M. Rubenstein Dean’s Engagement and Impact Fund—an account that will showcase the impact of work done by Sanford students and faculty. 

“I am excited and honored to support Sanford’s goal of producing scholars who will shape global public policy,” said Rubenstein in the release. “I am eager to see the impact faculty and students will continue to make in this world under the leadership of the new dean. 

Sanford Dean Bruce Kuniholm said the donation will help to further bridge the divide between academia and public policy.

“This major gift will be of enormous benefit to our students and the school,” Kuniholmn said in the release. “It will make it possible for the best students to enroll in Sanford's MPP program and for undergraduates to have an internship experience that some could not otherwise afford.”