HLP Projects

Over more than 30 years, the Hart Leadership Program has developed partnerships and programs through its relationships with community groups, students, and alumni.

There is a lot going on at Hart these days. Beyond our core programs, courses and regular events, we are home to a number of exciting projects that connect to our students, alumni and community. This page is a repository of information about these ongoing projects.

We encourage you to take a look at the alumni outreach initiatives Tony Brown has been steadily building for the past few years—through the Duke Leadership Accelerator.

The Duke Leadership Accelerator builds on the foundation of Tony Brown’s two decades of teaching enterprising leadership courses to undergraduates, being engaged in Durham, and maintaining active communications with his former students. The Accelerator includes sustained community-based programs such as RIPPLE and the Durham Action Tank, as well as short-term programs such as 36 Hours at Duke, city-based alumni meetings around the country, and other alumni events at Duke University.

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"WHY VOTE?" VIDEO CHALLENGE

36 HOURS at DUKE

RIPPLE

DURHAM ACTION TANK

"WHY VOTE?" VIDEO CHALLENGE

This year, Duke is participating in the NC Campus Challenge, a competition to see which school can get the most students registered and voting in 2020.

As part of the Challenge, the Hart Leadership Program is hosting the "Why Vote?" video challenge. We are looking for the best pitches that would motivate students to vote in a video of 30 seconds or less. In February 2020, HLP will host trainings on Duke’s campus to assist students in developing the skills to submit a video, though attendance is not required to enter a submission. Winning entries will receive a will be eligible to have their video featured prominently across campus.

Click here for more information.

Voted sticker on American flag

ELI

36 HOURS at DUKE

As part of the Enterprising Leadership Initiative (ELI), 36 Hours at Duke is based on the belief that alumni have expertise and experience to offer students, and students have much to teach alumni. Bringing together current and former Duke students for a 36 hour period on campus, 36 Hours at Duke allows students and alumni to forge connections with each other, learn, and continue their leadership development.

"...this program is as much about professional connections and growth as it is about personal learning and continuing education about your own value systems..."

- CHRISTOPHER SCOVILLE, '05

Typically a group of 20 alumni and 20 students gathers from a Friday evening to Sunday afternoon on Duke campus. During the 36-hour program, they participate in faculty-led group workshops, experience Duke and Durham, connect with each other, and have fun in the process. 36 Hours at Duke provides participants with a forum to discuss real world issues on a particular theme or problem, and it offers time for personal reflection. Programs can be based on specific demographic themes such as women, entrepreneurs, or Durham residents.

DumiJennaCharlie

STUDENTS AND ALUMNI GATHER DURING A COLLABORATIVE SESSION

Before the weekend, each alumni participant is assigned a student partner. Together the partners participate in program activities that include workshops and events for the whole group, as well as small group conversation sessions. Alumni-student partners collaborate in creating a “36 hour plan” that includes the small group conversations as well as additional activities of personal interest. Partner groups interact with each other before, during, and after the weekend. The program is intentionally flexible to allow for alumni and students to engage in the breadth of the Duke experience in the specific ways they wish to do so. The weekend is an avenue for participants to come together and to recapture a sense of what it means to actively participate in the extended Duke community. 36 Hours has become a signature part of the Sanford School of Public Policy's alumni outreach strategy. Events are hosted by invitation throughout the year.

ELI

RIPPLE

RIPPLE is a new leadership program for alumni that acts as a catalyst, connector, supporter, and guide for groups of motivated Duke graduates who are committed to supporting each other’s lifelong journeys of leadership development, personal growth, and creating lives of meaning. The collaborative action-reflection process of RIPPLE communities aims to create deeper and more diverse personal relationships, an enhanced positive impact on others in the community, and personal growth. RIPPLE is based on the idea of individuals and groups DOING BETTER to BE BETTER.

"I was excited to do something meaningful with this group of Duke alumni that is quite diverse, yet commonly motivated. I wanted to develop my experience of community and find inspiration by; working together towards issues of substance. I hope to build genuine relationships that will last long after our current program ends. I'd love for this to be a community of mutual interest and support in which we all motivate each other to work towards our values and we contribute to a few projects of collective purpose for years to come."

- NATHAN RANNY, '11, SAN FRANCISCO RIPPLE MEMBER

RTP April 2016 dinner

Doing better involves collaborative, action-oriented activities and experiences that create ripples of beneficial change for fellow group members, family, friends, professional colleagues, Duke alumni and students, and local community members. RIPPLE Communities are more than dialogue and reflection groups. Being better, the result of doing better, enables strong-hearted leaders to thrive and grow.

RIPPLE Communities consist of eight to twelve members. RIPPLE meetings rotate around themes of personal reflection discussions, volunteer projects, learning opportunities with guest speakers, and social outings. Communities are led by members at the local level with support from ELI staff.

"I joined RIPPLE in order to push myself. I was at a place in my life and career where I was ready for something more and to wanting to engage with a community like I had during my undergraduate years. RIPPLE offers me a time for reflection and action that I may not have carved out on my own without the support and push of others."

- JULIA HAMILTON TROST, '05, SAN FRANCISCO RIPPLE MEMBER

RIPPLE was launched in 2015 in San Francisco and New York City, and groups in Boston, Durham, DC, and Los Angeles formed in 2016. RIPPLE members are primarily Duke graduates, with a specific focus on Sanford School alumni, Tony Brown’s former students, and aspiring and accomplished entrepreneurs. RIPPLE groups can also include spouses and friends who have a strong connection to the local RIPPLE Community or to Duke.

DURHAM ACTION TANK

The Durham Action Tank is an array of small programs and activities that engage local community leaders, alumni, students, and faculty in acting on specific ideas that tap into underutilized Durham assets and the expertise of group members. Durham Action Tank activities include Giving Circle dinners, community service projects, and participation in class-based team projects.