October 25, 1999
New UC Washington Center breaks ground
By Chuck McFadden
UC Office of the President
The University of California broke ground last week at its Washington Center in
Washington D.C.
When completed in the spring of 2001, the 11-story center will be a live-learn facility
serving up to 280 undergraduate and graduate students and up to 10 visiting scholars.
The center will offer living quarters for students and visiting scholars as well
as offices and classrooms.
The University of California currently has academic programs in the capital from
UC campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and
Santa Cruz.
UC undergraduates who come to Washington will typically spend a term in residence
at the center while working and studying in the District of Columbia as part of each
home campus's Washington program.
"Over the years, students in the university's Washington programs have gained
firsthand exposure to the political process while attaining incomparable experience
as interns with federal agencies, Congress, the White House, policy research organizations,
and interest groups," said UC President Richard C. Atkinson. "The new UC
Center in Washington will enhance those educational opportunities as well as provide
better facilities for scholars conducting Washington-based research."
Larry Berman, a member and former chairman of the political science department at
UC Davis, was appointed the center's director last September.
Graduate fellows pursuing their doctoral research in Washington, D.C., will also
work as teaching assistants in the center's classes of UC undergraduates.
In addition to serving students and faculty, the center will be the Washington base
for the Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, a multi-campus UC research
unit whose mission is to bridge the gap between the academic and policy worlds. Also
housed at the center will be the University of California's Office of Federal Governmental
Relations.
The center is being financed by a combination of public and private funds, including
payments from students who will occupy the housing areas during their time in Washington.
