Joel Fleishman, founder of the Sanford School of Public Policy and namesake of the Fleishman House, is remembered as a visionary who played a transformational role in Duke’s development.
Fleishman, 90, died on Sept. 30 in a Chapel Hill hospital after suffering complications from a fall.
He is also remembered for his leadership of Duke’s first-ever capital campaign to raise over $500 million for both the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and Pratt School of Engineering. Many of the buildings around campus and the endowment that arts and sciences programs continue to draw from exist because of Fleishman’s efforts.
Beyond his academic contributions, those who knew Fleishman recall his deep connection with individuals across the Duke community. From sending out holiday cards to thousands of his friends and acquaintances to inviting students and colleagues to his famous dinner parties, Fleishman was passionate about fostering genuine connections with all those around him.
“Joel lived life as fully as one can live a life, he created a model for how to live life and he set an example for all of us who were lucky enough to be part of his life,” said Shane Stansbury, Trinity ‘95, Robinson Everett Fellow and senior lecturing fellow at Duke Law School, who was once a student in Fleishman’s seminar.
To Phillip Cook, TT/Terry Sanford distinguished professor emeritus of public policy studies, Fleishman served as a figure who would provide him with “counsel and wisdom,” as he navigated building the Institute of Policy Sciences and Public Affairs — now the Sanford School.
Cook was recruited to work at the institute in 1973 as one of the program’s first faculty members. At the time, although Fleishman had just started the program, Cook emphasized how Fleishman was skilled at communicating his vision for the school.
“He just instilled confidence that he was going to be able to pull this off and make something new and great at Duke,” Cook said.
To secure funding to create the institute, Fleishman worked tirelessly to network with foundations and overcome resistance from some of his colleagues. Despite the feat ahead of him, Fleishman was able to transform the institute into a world-class program. Currently, the school is ranked by U.S. News as No. 6 in the nation for Public Policy Analysis.
Fleishman eventually left his position as head of Sanford in 1983, when he was placed in charge of the University’s new capital campaign. John Koskinen, Trinity ‘61, former head of the Internal Revenue Service and former president of the Alumni Association, was the “alumni chairman” of the capital campaign and observed Fleishman’s work.
One of Fleishman’s greatest contributions to the campaign was his suggestion to develop a permanent staff dedicated to reaching out to alumni for donations, Koskinen noted. Though the University previously would build a staff, disband it and rebuild it again for a campaign, Fleishman’s plan allowed for longer-term development.
Koskinen added how building this staff transformed the alumni donation network. With his new team, Fleishman was able to streamline contact with alumni, even finding graduates that “hadn’t ever been asked for a contribution.” Ultimately, Fleishman was able help raise roughly $500 million in this first campaign, as well as to develop an efficient system for alumni engagement that remained in place for decades after.
“Without that, I don’t think Duke would be as successful as it was subsequently in the ‘90s, and then more recently, in major capital fundraising activities,” Koskinen said.
In addition to his leadership in spearheading the capital campaign, Fleishman was also an incredibly dedicated and intelligent professor.
Stansbury described Fleishman’s high standards for his students, noting how he used to provide scrutinous feedback on work and expected excellent writing and grammar from his students. Split infinitives were one of Fleishman’s greatest pet peeves, he added.
“As a professor, he was first and foremost a good teacher,” Stansbury said. “... His best quality was his ability to see people's true potential. As a student, he pushed you to be better because he believed you were capable of more.”
Fleishman’s mentorship to students did not reside solely in the classroom. Stansbury described Fleishman’s frequent dinner parties, where he would invite friends and colleagues from various parts of his life — and his students.
“He included you as an adult in interesting conversations, counted you as among his friends and wanted you to meet all of these people that he invited to his house,” Stansbury said. “You were treated as an equal, and that meant a lot to us as students.”
Even after the class ended, he kept in contact with Fleishman for years as a lifelong mentor — a trend common with many that knew Fleishman.
“It was easy to keep in touch [with] Joel, because he made a point of keeping in touch with you,” Stansbury said. “Whether it was an email or a lunch or a cup of tea in New York because he was in town, Joel always made a point of making that time to keep those mentorships and friendships fresh.”
He added that any time he had a major life decision to make, he knew that he could reach out to Joel, a feeling that was shared among “dozens, if not hundreds of people.”
Koskinen emphasized Fleishman’s large network of friends and the impact he made on all those he interacted with.
“Once you met him, you didn't forget him, and he didn't forget you,” he said.
Fleishman also fostered deep connections with members of the Jewish community in Durham.
Fleishman was born in Fayetteville into a traditional Jewish household. Having attended a Jewish high school, Fleishman connected with orthodox Judaism and joined the orthodox kehillah at Beth El when he moved to Durham. There, he was a mainstay of the community.
“He would often lead the prayers with an incredible piety,” said Beth El Rabbi Daniel Greyber. “… Joel embodied what it means to be pious.”
Beth El hosted a memorial for Fleishman on Oct. 1, bringing together numerous members across the many spheres Fleishman was involved in.
Fleishman was also invested in creating a place for the Jewish community at Duke. He would invite students to join his family in Fayetteville and attend synagogue during the Jewish holidays, giving them a place to find community.
“Joel is like a renaissance man, a deeply Jewish person whose roots in his Judaism allowed him to engage very deeply and widely with the world,” Greyber said.
After Chabad at Duke Rabbi Nossen Fellig moved to Durham in 2016 to start a Chabad House at the University, Fleishman was an instrumental part of developing the community. Fellig shared that he initially operated Chabad out of his apartment. Though, after securing a permanent location near campus, the Chabad community moved to the larger space and dedicated it to Fleishman.
“He never hesitated to use any resources [to] support for the Fleishman House,” Fellig said. “He was always looking to connect us with amazing people to further strengthen and build the Jewish community at Duke.”
One of Fleishman’s proudest contributions to the Duke Jewish community was the Yalla Food Truck, which provides kosher and halal food to observant Jewish and Muslim students.
According to those who knew Fleishman, he lived a life full of passion and vision. Through his work with the Sanford, raising funds for the University and support for the Duke and Durham Jewish communities, Fleishman managed to touch the lives of so many, seeking out and maintaining connections with everyone he met.
“Change happens when someone believes in you more than you believe in yourself,” Fellig said. “That's what Joel did for me and for so many others.”
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Sarah Diaz is a Trinity first-year and a staff reporter for the news department.