SACRAMENTO -- The bond between the University of California and the state of California will strengthen next week as UC's Sacramento Center undergoes a major change in status. On May 6, UC Provost Wyatt R. (Rory) Hume will join center Director Gary Dymski, state dignitaries, alumni and students to officially proclaim the center's transition from pilot to permanent program. The provost also will outline the center's increased responsibility for marshaling the university's research capability on behalf of state government.

"The pilot program has been a great success, and we are very excited about the Sacramento Center becoming permanent as it will only enhance learning opportunities for students and UC's contributions to the state," said Hume.

Provost Hume will officially launch the new permanent asset of the UC system during a public reception on Tuesday, May 6, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the UC Center, 1130 K St., Suite LL 22.

Founded late in 2003 as a pilot academic program by the UC Office of the President, the UC Center Sacramento created a unique curriculum focused on California public policy, which is available to undergraduate, graduate and professional students from all 10 UC campuses. Since its inception, UCCS has introduced more than 420 students to the challenges of public policy research and analysis through seminars, research papers and internships. The center also is home to the university's distinctive internship program in public affairs journalism.

In addition to teaching, the center has brought UC faculty, policy-makers and other experts together for seminars, panels and consultations on subjects as diverse as California's future in international trade, the economics of global warming, wildfire containment and prevention, infrastructure finance, state revenues and the new economy, affordable housing, environmental justice, education finance and educational issues, the crisis in modern journalism, the emergence of modern China, and the state's aging work force -- to name but a few. The center's journalism program also has joined with the Committee of Concerned Journalists, New America Media and the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism to improve reporting on education, the environment and health care.

California is the most dynamic and diverse state in the nation and, as such, faces significant challenges in nearly every aspect of governmental activity. The University of California is a major resource for those who seek solutions to those challenges. Now, as highlighted by Provost Hume, the UC Center Sacramento will serve as a focal point where California policy-makers can tap the university's unmatched array of resources.

To RSVP for the event, please contact Kelly.Bradfield@ucop.edu or call (916) 445-5100.

For more information: http://uccs.universityofcalifornia.edu