Chancellors, regents, students, faculty members, alumni and legislators are expetect to be on hand Tuesday as UC dedicates its new Washington Center.
"The Washington Center serves as a constant reminder of the partnership the University of California has forged with the federal government in educating our next generation of leaders and in expanding the frontiers of knowledge," said UC President Richard Atkinson, who plans to attend Tuesday's ceremony.
"This new facility brings members of the University of California family in Washington under one roof, and it provides an incredible opportunity for our students to participate in experiential learning at the center of national politics and policymaking," he said.
The 11-story, 176,000-square-foot center is home to more than 250 students, faculty and staff members. Students representing all UC undergraduate campuses participate in internships and academic programs at the center while living in the facility's on-site residence. The center also is home to the university's Office of Federal Governmental Relations and the Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation.
The Academic Center, directed by former UC Davis political science department chairman Larry Berman, provides academic course work and facilitates internship opportunities for students in the Washington area.
"We hope that this facility will become a center for cultural, intellectual and research programs in Washington, D.C.," Berman said.
"For me, the words written on the seal of the University of California that are also inscribed above the front door of the center - "Let There Be Light" - serves as a constant reminder that the young people here will help shape the future of our world. Many of them will acquire the first tools and skills from their internship experiences and the academic programs offered at the Washington Center."
Work on the new facility began in October 1999. Its construction and day-to-day operations are funded by a combination of public and private funds. The cost of the building is estimated at $30 million.