Events

2024 Presidential Debate Watch Party @ IGS

Tuesday, September 10, 2024 - 5:30PM at IGS Library (109 Philosophy Hall) The Institute of Governmental Studies and the Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics & Public Service are hosting a friendly, welcoming, and informative evening of food and healthy discussion as we livestream the first presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump.

2024 Presidential Election Debate Watch Party

Tuesday, September 10, 2024 - 5:30PM at IGS Library (109 Philosophy Hall)

Doors...

2024 Barbara Boxer Lecture: Politics is Personal: A Conversation with Former Rep. Jackie Speier

April 17, 2024 4:00pm - 5:15pm Please join us in conversations with Former Representative Jackie Speier

Every elected official sees life through their personal experience. These experiences have shaped Congresswoman Speier at every level of government as she very successfully navigates the issues.

Join us for the 2024 Boxer Lecture: Politics is Personal - A Conversation with Rep. Jackie Speier, as we discuss her life, her resilience, and how it all shapes her work.

The Barbara Boxer Lecture is an annual event, sponsored...

REI Colloquium: Colonial Humanity: Making Rights and Race at the "Final Frontier"

April 9, 2024 12:00pm - 1:30pm

This talk traces the under-explored development of rights of mankind in the early Space Age, and its role in what I call the colonization of humanity: the reconstruction of human beings as a human race embodied and extended through outposting. Codified in the Outer Space Treaty (OST) of 1967 to inhibit states’ militaristic colonization of space, these rights redefined humanity as a spacefaring race, from the free exploration and use of outer space as the “province of mankind” to the designation of astronauts as “envoys of...

REI Colloquium: Against Muerto Rico: The Struggle for Life in Puerto Rico

March 19, 2024 12:00pm - 1:30pm

This talk examines the protests that rocked Puerto Rico during the summer of 2019, known as the Verano Boricua. The Verano Boricua is important not just because it resulted in the resignation of Ricardo Rosselló, the first time a democratically elected Puerto Rican governor has vacated their post. It is also important because it indexed a political praxis rooted in the idea of truly living in Puerto Rico--that is, living a life of dignity and respect that is free of degradation and violence. In a context where colonial capitalism creates...

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...

REI Colloquium: From Excluded to Critical Political Actors: Examining the Making of Puerto Rican Politics in Florida

March 7, 2024 12:00pm - 1:30pm

The arrival of over 1 million Puerto Ricans in Florida is altering Latino politics in the state. Puerto Ricans are now the second-largest Latino group and the second-Largest Latino electorate in the Sunshine State. Puerto Ricans’ migratory shift away from historic destinations in the Northeast and Midwest to the South means they have settled in a vastly different racial and political context. This presentation examines the making of Puerto Rican politics in Florida by focusing on the political experiences of Island born/raised...

Election Night: 2024 California Primary Watch Party

The Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics & Public Service and the Institute of Governmental Studies are hosting an Election Night Watch Party

2024 Primary Elections Watch Party

Tuesday, March 5, 2024 @ 6:30PM at IGS Library (109 Philosophy Hall)

Doors open at 6:15pm (Seating is available on a first come first served basis.)

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...

2024 Percy Synar Award Ceremony and Reception

February 23, 2024 2:00pm - 4:00pm Please join us as we congratulate the 2024 recipients of the Charles H. Percy Undergraduate Grant for Public Affairs Research and the Mike Synar Graduate Research Fellowship

The Charles H. Percy Undergraduate Grant for Public Affairs Research 2024 Recipients:

Alina Zarate (Environmental Sciences, Interdisciplinary Studies): "The Multiple Fronts of the Fight for Farm Worker Rights: An Analysis of UFW Political Advocacy in the 21st Century"

Andrew Huong Yet Chen (Political Science, Psychology): "Unveiling Voter...

Pathways to Public Service in California

November 9, 2023 4:00pm - 5:30pm

California, and many other states, are experiencing hiring challenges as many local and state government positions remain vacant after the pandemic. With the additional challenge of an aging workforce beginning to retire, there's a rising need to recruit enterprising young graduates for these positions and prepare them with knowledge, networks, and resources to be successful.

This panel will provide valuable insights into the benefits of working in public service and learn about the various career paths available within state and...

REI Colloquium: How Should Societies Respond to Demographic Change?

November 7, 2023 12:00pm - 1:30pm

How do societies respond to great demographic change? This question lingers over the contemporary politics of countries where persistent immigration has altered populations and may soon produce a “Majority Minority” milestone. Until now, most of our knowledge about responses to demographic change are based on studies of individual people’s reactions; they are defensive and intolerant. Why and how are these instincts sometimes tempered to promote more successful coexistence? Grounded in rich narratives and novel statistical data, George...