McCarthy Center | Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good

Building Credentials in Politics at the Nevada Caucus

Volunteering for the Nevada Caucus is an experience I’ll never forget. From waking up at 3:00 a.m., to stopping for coffee four times on the way to Reno, to seeing the snow for the first time and later finding out that it was one my cohort-mates, Jeno’s first time driving in the snow, and bonding with my cohort-mates the entire way, I can say that the trek was well worth it. Over the course of four days, we went from being a random group of graduate students from San Francisco to being celebrities in less than 24 hours. – Christine Hackett

Explore A Self-Guided Fillmore Walk

Looking for something new to do this weekend? We compiled key historic points for Engage San Francisco’s Place-Based Initiative Conference and invite you to explore our self-guided walk through the Fillmore District.

What is the California Prize?

What is the California Prize? Back in 2008, the University of San Francisco worked with Susan and Philip Marineau to establish an award for an individual or organization in California that models selfless service in pursuit of the common good, especially efforts benefiting the poor and marginalized.

3 Numbers To Know About Our Masters Programs

The Master of Public Affairs and Practical Politics (MoPA) program was founded in 2010 and graduated its first cohort in 2011. The vision of MoPA was to prepare students to thrive in the public affairs and political worlds that is unique to the Bay Area. A few years later in 2013, the Master of Arts in Urban Affairs (Urban) was established. Urban was designed to train students to graduate ready to be specialists in analyzing the policy challenges of 21st century urbanism—providing the skills and the knowledge to be effective leaders in community-driven urban policy and projects.

Ready, Set, Engage! The Authentic Video Guide to Community-Engaged Learning

The Leo T. McCarthy Center is currently developing a video series entitled, “Ready, Set, Engage! The Authentic Video Guide to Community-Engaged Learning”, designed to prepare undergraduate and graduate students for participation in community-engaged courses and activities. This series features University of San Francisco students, faculty, and community partners sharing their perspectives, insights, and reflections on their experiences with community-engaged learning. – Star Moore

EMDS Goes to Cuba: Discovering “Chino”

Named after USF’s late and great Esther Madriz, Esther Madriz Diversity Scholars living-learning community focuses on Hip-Hop and its use for social change. To me, being in EMDS means learning how to become a better activist through our own strengths and passions. A part of our experience includes going on a transborder travel experience during winter intersession. – Jazlynn Pastor

Casa Bayanihan – Living and Learning in Solidarity

It is very difficult to sum up my experience in the Philippines with the Casa Bayanihan program. Almost every alum will tell someone who asks that. I could talk about what my everyday life was like there. I could talk about what I did. However, even these two simple concepts are difficult for me to explain because the Casa Bayanihan program is about taking students out of the context of their own lives. – Kaitlin Thaxton Elkins

Why should we care about campaigns?

As a first year Master of Public Affairs candidate with a personal interest in campaigns and the fact that it is a campaign year, my electives so far have been Campaign Theory, Campaign Organization and Management, and Grassroots and Organizing — a perfect fit for me. – Lauren Feuerborn