FEATURES
The surprise tribute video unveiling the newly named Haskell Public Policy Institute was a heartfelt component of an evening that brought together community leaders, university officials, students and civic dignitaries to Jacksonville University’ s downtown College of Law to honor Haskell and his transformational eightfigure commitment. There, in the center of a transforming downtown Jacksonville, just blocks from City Hall and the state courthouses, the announcement marked both a naming and a new chapter for public policy and legal education in Northeast Florida.
BUILDING ON VISION
The Public Policy Institute began with nothing more than an idea. In fall 2011, Rick Mullaney, executive director of the Public Policy Institute and Robert T. Shircliff Chair in Public Policy, visited Duke University’ s School of Public Policy, where the dean delivered crucial advice: to start Florida’ s first institute of its kind from scratch, he would need a respected board of advisors.
“ We had no students. We didn’ t have any faculty, we didn’ t have a class, we didn’ t have a degree program,” said Mullaney.“ What we had was a vision and an idea.”
When Mullaney approached Haskell in 2012, the response was characteristic. Halverson, former chairman and CEO of The Haskell Company, remembers that first meeting.“ Preston dives right in, and he gives chapter and verse about,‘ here’ s how you need to organize it, here’ s things you need to do,’ and was busy designing curriculum in this first meeting. I could see Rick was drinking from a fire hose,” said Halverson.
“ When I’ m down around Preston, I tend to do a lot of listening, which is a pleasant change for a lot of people when it comes to me,” Mullaney said with a grin.
Haskell was insistent that academic excellence was non-negotiable.“ You can always lower your standards, but it’ s hard to raise those standards,” he told Mullaney. That principle helped shape an institute that has grown from eight students in 2013 to 85 today, establishing itself as Florida’ s premier forum for nonpartisan civic dialogue and leadership development.
WAV E MAGAZINE | Spring 2026 15