The University of California Center Sacramento, which offers instruction and internships in the state Capitol, has been reopened for students of the UC system.
The center will begin to accept students for the journalism program this summer and for the public policy program in the fall.
The popular public policy and public affairs journalism program was suspended last fall because of budget cuts. Last Thursday, through the combined efforts of UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi and UC President Mark Yudof, the center announced its reopening.
Reopening the center had been a top priority for Katehi since her arrival in Davis last summer, and the move seemed to be a logical step since the center is only 15 minutes away from the campus.
Although the center’s budget is substantially reduced from $600,000 to $400,000, instruction at the center will basically remain the same with the exception of some details, said A.G. Block, associate director of the UC Center Sacramento.
Traditionally, the classes had been taught by faculty-in-residence who lived at the center with the students.
Now the classes will be taught by UC Davis professors, who Block says will bring a new dimension to the dynamics of teaching at the center, since they will have all of the resources of the Davis campus available to them.
The decision to close the center last fall was not a popular one.
The UC Board of Regents received opposition from former students, legislature members and even some regents who felt it was a worthwhile program for the university system.
“I don’t think anyone really wanted to close the program,” Block said.
Students will also be able to take classes at UC Davis, which is leading the center in addition to the instruction, internships and outreach programs offered by the center.
UC Davis will be responsible for the instruction of the program and for making the center self-supporting.
One of the main goals for Robert Huckfeldt, the new director of the center, is to increase enrollment to make the program more available and more cost-efficient. The center will be funded partially by the UC Office of the President while it transitions into a self-supporting program. Half of the center’s funding will be paid with the fees of program participants. These fees had previously gone to their home campuses but will now be redirected fully toward the center in Sacramento.
The center will be taking more students and participating in research that is relevant to public policy.
“We’re not just trying to do the same thing on a smaller budget. We’d like to do more,” said Ron Mangun, UC Davis dean of the division of social sciences, which takes over responsibility for the center.
With 10 percent of its students coming from Westwood, the center had been a popular stop for UCLA students seeking government and journalism internships and experience.
UCLA already has internship positions at the federal and local level, and the reopening of the center in Sacramento completes the offering of internships and experience at all levels of civic engagement.
“With this program, students have the opportunity to learn firsthand the workings of state government from the public, private and non-profit angles,” said Octavio Pescador, campus advisor for the program at UCLA.
The reopening of the center has sparked the interest of the Sacramento political community. Huckfeldt has already been approached by legislators and lobbyists who have voiced their interest to guest lecture at the center.
Furthermore, the increased involvement of the political community in Sacramento may lead to more internships for students, which is one of Huckfeldt’s top priorities.
The revamping of the center will once again open doors for UC students to experience and participate in state government alongside assemblymembers like Dave Jones, a strong supporter of the center who urged the regents to reconsider its closing back in the fall.
“I am excited that funding for the UC Center Sacramento is being restored,” he said. ” Attracting very talented UC students to public service and journalism is important for our state’s future.”