Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley

This fall, the Leonard D. Schaeffer Fellows in Government Service program celebrated two significant milestones: honoring our 2024 Schaeffer Fellows' contributions to public service and marking the program's 10th anniversary. Our Recognition Events in September and October brought together 2024 Fellows, program alumni, and university partners at each campus—Harvard, Princeton, UC Berkeley, USC, and UVA. Fellows reflected on their government experiences, sharing both highlights and challenges that deepened their understanding of public service and advanced their professional growth. These gatherings also allowed Fellows to provide valuable feedback, which will help shape future program improvements. Our regional 10th anniversary celebrations were another highlight, marking the program’s lasting impact and offering another opportunity to connect with alumni to hear their personal stories of growth and transformation. Celebrating a decade of success with our community has reaffirmed the program’s enduring legacy. Schaeffer Fellows represent the next generation of public service leaders, dedicated to making a lasting impact in their communities. As we approach this year’s election, they inspire hope for the future through their commitment to making a positive impact and active engagement in civic life. With ongoing support from our Advisory Board, University Partners, institutional collaborators, and ambitious alumni, the Schaeffer Fellows program will continue to be a powerful force for change, preparing leaders ready to address society’s most pressing challenges.

🚨The application deadline for Democracy Camp is TWO DAYS AWAY!🚨 Applicants can apply to one of two programs, Democracy Camp in Berkeley or Democracy Camp in DC. Both applications are due on Sunday, November 3, 2024 at 11:59 PM. Don't miss the opportunity to participate in this transformative public service program! #democracycamp #publicservice #opportunities #matsuicenter #berkeleyigs

The latest #berkeleyigspoll shows Vice President Kamala Harris maintaining a comfortable lead over Donald Trump in her home state in next week’s presidential election. The poll, completed one week before Election Day, finds the Democratic ticket of Harris and Tim Walz supported by 57%, while the Trump - J.D. Vance GOP ticket receives 35%. While impressive, Harris’s lead does not match the victory margin that President Joe Biden received four years ago when he carried the state by 29 points. One reason for this is that Harris is now receiving significantly less support from the state’s Latino and Asian American voters than Biden did in 2020. The declines are particularly striking among male Latino and Asian American voters, only about half of whom are now backing Harris. The poll finds little change in voter preferences in both U.S. Senate race and Proposition 36, the ballot initiative to stiffen sentences for repeat offenders for theft and drug use. In the U.S. Senate race, Democrat Adam Schiff continues to hold a big lead over Republican Steve Garvey, 55% to 34%. The current standings on Proposition 36 shows 60% of those polled intending to vote Yes, while just 25% are voting No. To read the latest findings, please visit our website! #election #igspoll #election2024 #politics #berkeleyigs

TOMORROW! Join us at the Institute of Governmental Studies Library on Friday, November 1st at 12:00pm for "California and the 2024 Election." This panel event will feature a presentation by Berkeley IGS Poll Director Mark DiCamillo on the latest round of statewide election-related data, conducted in partnership with the LA Times, followed by a moderated discussion with a panel of experts on the results, the mood of the electorate, likely turnout, the race for the Presidency, national control of the House and Senate, and key statewide initiatives. Make sure to RSVP via Eventbrite, link in our bio!

COMING UP! Join us at the Institute of Governmental Studies Library on Wednesday, November 13th at 4:00pm for “California and the Nation Vote: A Post-Mortem on the 2024 Election”. This moderated panel discussion will share their thoughts on the outcome of the election, the impact of ballot measure campaigns as a mobilization strategy, and what the results mean for the future of the GOP and the progressive movement, respectively, both in CA and nationally. Please RSVP via Eventbrite, link in our bio! * This event will also be hybrid; virtual attendees will be able to join via Zoom Webinar. In order to attend, you must have an active email account and register via Zoom.*

We are thrilled to celebrate the 1000th digitization for the LoCALDig Project, a huge milestone for the IGS Library Staff! The IGSL has been digitizing a vast analog of documents from our 100+ year collection in order to create a publicly accessible, freely available, archived and preserved digital collection of California's local government information. We could not be happier with the incredible progress they have made thus far in this project and are excited to see the final results!

As we reach the final days before the election, we want to remind you that @berkeleyigs is still hosting a number of engaging and informative events to discuss crucial policy issues, public opinion polling, the election, and more. REI Colloquium: Cartographies of Housing Justice and Abolitionist Futures, Chinatown Style 📆 Tuesday, October 29, 2024 🕛 12pm-1:30pm 📍IGS Library, 109 Philosophy Hall This seminar will focus on the intergenerational efforts of Asian American women, queer and non-binary youth in New York City's Chinatown to build a sustainable movement towards housing justice. IGS Poll Pre-Election Panel Discussion 📆 Friday, November 1, 2024 🕛 12pm-1:30pm 📍IGS Library, 109 Philosophy Hall Join us as IGS Poll Director Mark DiCamillo presents the latest findings from the IGS Poll just before the election, as our panel of experts discuss emerging trends and their implications on the presidential election, statewide races, and state and local ballot measures. IGS 2024 Election Night Watch Party 📆 Tuesday, November 5, 2024 🕛 6pm-9pm 📍IGS Library, 109 Philosophy Hall Join us for a special Election Day Taco Tuesday filled with discussion and intentional community-building as we watch live coverage of the 2024 election returns. California and the Nation Vote: A Post-Mortem on the 2024 Election 📆 Wednesday, November 13, 2024 🕛 4pm-5:30pm 📍IGS Library, 109 Philosophy Hall Once the election is done, there will be much still to unpack. Join us as we bring together a bipartisan panel of policy experts to discuss what this election means for both the far-right and far-left political movements within each party. REI Colloquium: Making Never-Never Land: Race and Law in the Creation of Puerto Rico 📆 Tuesday, November 19, 2024 🕛 12pm-1:30pm 📍IGS Library, 109 Philosophy Hall Join us as poet and historian, Mónica A. Jiménez discusses her book and the racial and legal contexts that paved the way for Puerto Rico's unique status as one of the world's oldest colonies.

🚨 REMINDER 🚨 The Charles H. Percy Undergraduate Grant is due in 6 WEEKS!! The Institute of Governmental Studies will award up to four research grants annually in the amount of $1,000 each to UC Berkeley undergraduate students who are conducting research on an aspect of American politics, including public opinion, electoral behavior, civic participation, government institutions, social movements, and public policy. We encourage all students to apply! For more information on the application, please visit our website. PLEASE NOTE: This application requires a letter of recommendation from a Berkeley faculty member or GSI, so start early! #berkeleyigs #matsuicenter #opportunity #research #publicaffairs #publicpolicy

The Matsui Center is expanding; we’re hiring a Program Manager! The Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service is looking for an experienced and engaged Program Manager (Public Ed Specialist 2) that supports our mission to nurture and train the next generation of public service leaders. This position assists with the outreach and implementation of our public service fellowships and programs that prepare students for careers in local, state, and federal government agencies and advocacy organizations. The ideal candidate would have 3-5 years administering experiential learning programs, training and mentoring students from underrepresented and nontraditional backgrounds in public service. The First Review Date for this job is: October 24, 2024 For full consideration, submit your application by November 4, 2024. For more information about the job responsibilities, qualifications, and link to apply, please visit the UC Berkeley Careers job portal by going to https://jobs.berkeley.edu and search Job ID: 4167U. #job #opportunity #ucberkeley #careers #highereducation #publicservice

We asked 2025 Democracy Camp in Berkeley Student Director Angie Castellon how Democracy Camp helped her along her journey to becoming a changemaker in her community. We're so grateful to share some of her reflections. Every year, we receive dozens of applications from more talented and passionate students like Angie than we can afford to serve, and we have to turn away qualified, driven, and committed students. Thanks to the generous donations of our community, we are excited to announce that we have reached our goal of $5,000 for our Democracy Camp Crowdfunding Campaign! This unprecedented generosity has inspired us to expand the 2025 Democracy Camp in Berkeley program to serve and support more students! If we reach our new fundraising goal of $6,000, additional gifts will sponsor meals, transportation, and learning materials for additional students this spring. Help us reach our stretch goal of $6,000, and ensure that more UC Berkeley students have access to this incredible opportunity! #democracycamp #crowdfunding #matsuicenter #publicservice #highered