Jay Hamilton to leave Duke for Stanford

Jay Hamilton, director of the DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy, is leaving Duke, according to an email obtained by The Chronicle.

Hamilton, also the Charles S. Sydnor professor of public policy and professor of economics and political science, will join the Stanford University faculty this Fall. He will direct their journalism program and serve as the Hearst professor of communication. Hamilton informed Bruce Kuniholm, dean of Sanford School of Policy, of his decision through an email Tuesday afternoon.

“I have been truly fortunate to be a part of the Sanford community and work with colleagues who value teaching, research and service so strongly,” Hamilton wrote to Kuniholm.

Discussions about new leadership for the DeWitt Wallace center have already begun, wrote Kuniholm, who will step down from his position as dean at the end of the year, in an email to the Sanford faculty, also sent Tuesday afternoon.

In his email, Kuniholm said Stanford’s abundant resources and prestigious journalism program made it “impossible” for Hamilton to turn down the offer.

Since arriving at Duke in 1991, Hamilton has held many roles within Sanford. He served as Sanford’s assistant director before it became a school, as well as its director of undergraduate studies. He has also held several professorships and was previously the director of the Duke Program on Violence and the Media.

His research interests include media, economics and the environment. He has authored and co-authored several books and has received numerous awards for his research.

“Jay has been one of very few who have made Sanford what it is over the last 20 years, and we owe more than I can recount here for what he has done for us,” Kuniholm said in his email.