Events

2025 Matsui Lecture: Lessons From A Lifetime of Public Service

Monday, March 17th, 2025 The Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service is pleased to announce that Former United States Representative Anna Eshoo will be the 2025 Matsui Lecturer.

Please join us for Lessons from a Lifetime of Public Service, a conversation with former U.S. Representative Anna Eshoo and moderator Elizabeth Jarvis-Shean (‘01), Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at DoorDash and Matsui Center Advisory Committee Member.

About the Speaker:

Anna Eshoo, a Democrat, served as a Member of...

2024 Matsui Lecture: Congress and the Crisis in American Democracy

Tuesday, March 12th, 2024 The Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service is pleased to announce that Former United States Representative Mickey Edwards will be the 2024 Matsui Lecturer

The Matsui Lecture is delivered each year by a distinguished former Member of Congress. In addition to speaking at a large public event, the Lecturer also speaks to classes, meets with students, and participates in the intellectual life of the Matsui Center and the Cal campus. Following a pandemic-related hiatus, we are thrilled to restart the Matsui Lecture series...

2026 Matsui Lecture: Congressional Power in Turbulent Times

Tuesday, March 10th, 2026 The Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service is pleased to announce that Former United States Representative Charlie Dent will be the 2026 Matsui Lecturer.

Please join us for Congressional Power in Turbulent Times: Elections, Executive Power, and America's Role in a Changing World, a conversation with former U.S. Representative Charlie Dent, and moderator Eric Schickler, Professor of Political Science and co-Director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley.

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2023 Matsui Lecture: Latinos and the Future of the Nation

March 7, 2023 4:00pm - 5:15pm The Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service is pleased to announce that Former United States Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard will be the 2023 Matsui Lecturer.

The Matsui Lecture is delivered each year by a distinguished former Member of Congress. In addition to speaking at a large public event, the Lecturer also speaks to classes, meets with students, and participates in the intellectual life of the Matsui Center and the Cal campus. Following a pandemic-related hiatus, we are thrilled to...

2022 Matsui Lecture: The Future of Democracy, A Conversation with Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

Tuesday, March 8, 2022 4:00pm - 5:15pm The Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service is pleased to announce that Former United States Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen will be the 2022 Matsui Lecturer.

The Matsui Lecture is delivered each year by a distinguished former Member of Congress. In addition to speaking at a large public event, the Lecturer also speaks to classes, meets with students, and participates in the intellectual life of the Matsui Center and the Cal campus. Following a pandemic-related hiatus, we are thrilled to restart...

Women Leaders and The Future of California

March 2, 2023 4:00pm - 5:30pm Please join us as we ask four prominent women leaders: What role do politically engaged women of color play in shaping the next decade for the Golden State?

In the midst of historic partisanship, geopolitical upheaval, ecological disasters, and the remnants of a once in a generation pandemic, how can California leaders guide one of the largest and most influential cultural and economic regions in the world toward a brighter future? On the national scale, how does California continue to stand at the forefront on major issues facing...

Election Night at IGS: 2022 Midterm Election Watch Party

November 8, 2022 5:00pm - 9:00pm The Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics & Public Service, and the Institute of Governmental Studies are hosting an fun, friendly, and informative evening of food, trivia games, and healthy discussion as we livestream the election results from the 2022 Midterm elections!

Join us as we track election results in California and across the nation in a monumental midterm year that will determine party control of both the House and the Senate! Food and drinks will be provided, along with games and prizes, too.

Advancing Multiracial Democracy in California: Pathways Leading up to the 2024 Election

September 21, 2023 4:00pm - 5:30pm Join us at the Institute of Governmental Studies Library on Thursday, September 21st at 4:00pm for a presentation on the latest round of Berkeley IGS Poll data, conducted in partnership with the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, followed by a moderated discussion on the results and the various conditions that may influence key races, ballot measures, and more with our panel of experts.

New polling conducted by the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley on voter satisfaction, voting rights, misinformation, and election reforms...

The 2022 Midterms & The State of American Democracy

November 4, 2022 12:00pm - 1:30pm Join us for a presentation and panel discussion on the latest Berkeley IGS Poll results, and impacts prior to the 2022 midterm elections.

What are the main factors shaping the landscape for the 2022 Midterm elections in California and across the nation? With closely contested battles for control of the House and Senate, along with high-profile races for other offices, including the mayor of Los Angeles, our expert panel will consider what the latest polling data and on-the-ground reports tell us to expect. How has the Dobbs decision...

2025 Diversity and Entrepreneurship Undergraduate Research Symposium

October 3, 2025 9:30am - 2:00pm Creating Opportunity in the Midst of Crises; Strategies for Increasing Access, Reducing Disparity, & Strengthening Diverse Small Businesses in California

In Spring of 2021, the Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS) at the University of California, Berkeley, was awarded a grant of more than $333,000 from the Wells Fargo Foundation to launch a two-year Diversity and Entrepreneurship Fellowship Program. The new initiative expands Berkeley undergraduate research, advocacy and internship experiences that focus on how small...