The UC Center Sacramento marked its first year of service with a reception the evening of Jan. 26 for members of the public, students, faculty and university and legislative staff.

During its first year, the UC Center Sacramento has provided educational and research opportunities in Sacramento's public policy arena to UC undergraduates and has facilitated the flow of faculty expertise to state policy-makers.

With more than 30 seminars hosted at the center in 2004, students and the public alike have learned how UC faculty research is impacting the broad spectrum of challenges facing the state.

"By giving students the opportunity to learn about California's complex political and policy-making processes firsthand, the UC Center in Sacramento is helping to create the next generation of leaders who will drive new ways of thinking and solutions to our current challenges as a state," said UC President Robert Dynes. "The teaching, research and public service being done at UCCS is critical in keeping California competitive and a global leader well into the future."

The anniversary celebration coincided with the arrival of the fourth class of students in the center's academic program. The program covers one academic quarter and combines an intensive course of study in public policy, with guided internship and research opportunities in the offices of elected officials, state agencies and policy-making organizations in Sacramento.

More than 40 UC undergraduates have graduated from the center's academic program. The 18 students in the spring 2005 class represent all of UC's undergraduate campuses -- Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, UCLA, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz -- and for the first time include graduate and professional school students.

As part of the series of center seminars, a panel discussion on the UC Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community, known as PRIME-LC, was hosted at the center in the afternoon Jan. 26. The program addressed how UC medical "doctors in training" have been helping to solve the health-care challenges of underserved populations throughout California.

The UC Center Sacramento was established as a pilot program in 2003 to expand the university's presence in Sacramento through a variety of public service and educational aims, including building a systemwide student internship and academic program; increasing opportunities for faculty research on state policy issues; and providing a variety of training programs and seminars on key policy issues for policy-makers, UC students and faculty.

For more information on the University of California Center Sacramento and events marking its one-year anniversary, visit: http://uccs.universityofcalifornia.edu/.