Description
The Sackton Fellowship is designed to support students in our Accelerated Federal Career Track.
About Frank Sackton
Former Army Lt. Gen. Frank Sackton, founding dean of ASU’s College of Public Programs (now Watts College), played a vital role in the success of thousands of leaders ranging from Gen. Douglas MacArthur to many of today’s best public servants in the nation.
Sackton started his career at ASU in 1976. He was a professor emeritus in ASU’s School of Public Affairs, where he taught through the fall 2009 semester. During his time at ASU, he also served as special assistant to the university president and as athletic director.
“Frank’s life was emblematic of the spirit of service, from the military to the academy and even to the retirement community in which he spent his final years,” said Debra Friedman, university vice president and dean of the College of Public Programs (2005-2011). “He was a quiet, humble and effective organizer for the good of others, always asking, ‘How can I help?’”
In the 1970s, he served as special assistant to Arizona Gov. Jack Williams.
“As a graduate student in the College of Public Programs at ASU in the 1980s, I very much admired Lt. General Frank Sackton as one of the best professors I had during my time on the Tempe Campus. Frank voluntarily acted as a kind, wise and committed career advisor that took time out of his many activities to help me problem-solve as a young leader while I was clawing my way up the hierarchy at the Phoenix Police Department to become a commanding officer there and police chief in other cities around the country.” - Jerry A. Oliver Sr., Professor of Practice at the School of Public Affairs
“Frank’s hours in the classroom were among his happiest, and he always placed the highest value on his teaching,” Denhardt said. “But Frank was also a model of a life well-lived. If he were among us right now, I know he would look up and say, as he did every morning, ‘It’s a beautiful day today!’” - Robert. B. Denhardt, former Director of the School of Public Affairs
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