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Noah M. Pickus

Professor of the Practice in the Sanford School of Public Policy
Sanford School of Public Policy
Duke Box 90005, Durham, NC 27708
220 Allen Bldg, Box 90432, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


Noah Pickus is Associate Provost at Duke University, with responsibilities in academic strategy, global initiatives, educational innovation, and policy engagement. A faculty member in the Sanford School of Public Policy for 25 years, he also serves as Dean for Academic Strategy and Learning Innovation at Duke Kunshan University, where he previously led curriculum design and faculty hiring. At Duke, he was formerly the Nannerl O. Keohane Director of the Kenan Institute for Ethics. Pickus has also served as Chief Academic Officer for Minerva Project, as Founding Director of the Institute for Emerging Issues at NC State University, as Co-Director of the Arizona State University-Georgetown University Academy for Innovation in Higher Education Leadership Intensive Program, and as Co-Director of the Brookings-Duke Immigration Roundtable. Formerly a faculty member at Middlebury College and an American Council on Education Fellow at Franklin & Marshall College, his new book (with Bryan Penprase) The New Global Universities: Reinventing Education in the 21st Century is forthcoming from Princeton University Press. His previous books focused on immigration and citizenship, and he has written widely on innovation and globalization in higher education. He received a bachelor’s degree in the College of Social Studies at Wesleyan University and a doctorate in politics from Princeton University.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor of the Practice in the Sanford School of Public Policy · 2023 - Present Sanford School of Public Policy
Dean of Academic Strategy and Learning Innovation at Duke Kunshan University · 2022 - Present DKU Faculty
Associate Provost · 2022 - Present Duke University

In the News


Published March 19, 2025
Transformative Ideas and POLIS Programs Bring Serious Fun
Published September 12, 2024
New Books by Duke Authors: Exploring Politics, Theology, AI and Basketball
Published July 16, 2024
The New Ventures in Higher Education

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Recent Publications


THE NEW GLOBAL UNIVERSITIES

Book · January 1, 2023 Higher education is perpetually in crisis, buffeted by increasing costs and a perceived lack of return on investment, campus culture that is criticized for stifling debate on controversial topics, and a growing sense that the liberal arts are outmoded and ... Cite

Good Neighbors and Good Citizens: Beyond the Legal-Illegal Immigration Debate

Chapter · August 23, 2018 Presents twenty-one essays exploring contemporary immigration and its impact on politics in the US and Europe. ... Cite

Liberal Arts and Sciences Innovation in China: Six Recommendations to Shape the Future

Report · November 2017 In June, 2017, twenty-five university leaders and scholars gathered at Duke Kunshan University (DKU) to assess obstacles to and opportunities for China’s new LAS initiatives. Representing 20 different institutions, attendees came from leading universities ... Open Access Link to item Cite
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Education, Training & Certifications


Princeton University · 1995 Ph.D.
Princeton University · 1990 M.A.
Wesleyan University · 1986 B.A.