Share this pageFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 14, 2001
For More Information, Contact:
Jamille Moens at (916) 651-4011
SACRAMENTO - Assemblymember Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) announced today that applications are currently being accepted for three state government fellowship programs. The application deadline for all three programs is February 28, 2001. The programs are the Jesse Marvin Unruh Assembly Fellowship Program, the California Senate Fellows Program, and the Executive Fellowship Program.
“I want to encourage any college graduate, whether recently graduated or mid-career, who has a strong interest in public policy and politics to apply,” said Simitian. “These programs are excellent opportunities for college graduates of any age, interested in state government, to gain firsthand knowledge of the inner workings of all its branches.”
The fellowship program is sponsored jointly by the Center for California Studies at California State University, Sacramento, and the California State Government. While each program offers different experiences, they all consist of graduate student coursework, substantial work experience and a stipend of $1, 882 a month, plus benefits.
The Jesse Marvin Unruh Fellowship Program, founded in 1957 by legendary former Assembly Speaker Jesse Unruh and renamed in his honor in 1987, is the oldest and one of the most prestigious legislative fellowship programs in the nation. The Jesse Unruh Assembly Fellowship program along with the Senate and Executive programs select 18 college graduates for each of the three programs from an extraordinarily talented international applicant pool.
Fellows spend 11 months gaining firsthand knowledge of the California Legislative and/or Executive branch by joining the staff of legislative committees, working as staff to Senators and Assemblymembers in Sacramento, or working as a part of the professional staff team in the Governor’s Cabinet or other constitutional offices. Responsibilities may include developing and researching legislative proposals, implementing and monitoring statewide programs, responding to constituent concerns, analyzing bills, writing speeches and press releases, and coordinating visits of foreign dignitaries.
As part of the program, fellows also enroll at California State University, Sacramento, for 12 units of graduate course work and produce major research papers, a number of which are published.
“The prestige of this program adds to the academic and professional experience that fellows receive,” explains Preston Taylor, a current Assembly Fellow working in Simitian’s office. “The support structure that we have extends beyond the current class of 18 fellows and program directors to a network of fellowship alumni who include current Assemblymembers, the Chief Clerk of the Assembly, and numerous senior level staff in both the legislative and executive branches of State Government.”
Applications and information are available on the Center for California Studies’ web site at http://www.csus.edu/calst/Programs/programs.html, or contact Simitian’s office at (650) 688-6384 for more information. Applications for the Assembly, Senate, and Executive fellowship programs must be postmarked by February 28, 2001.