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

In the Service of Equality

Former member of the California State Assembly, and McCarthy Center Emeritus Board of Advisor, Betsy Butler, recently gave an interview in The Easy Reader as executive director of the California Women’s Law Center. She elaborates on the issues she’s working on, from advocating for assault and rape survivors, to gendered pay disparity. This interview have…

Our Best of Student Success

When you think about the best of USF and the best of student leadership and service, it’s impossible NOT to think about the McCarthy Center. Join us at BOSS – the Best of Student Success – on Friday, October 18 from noon to 2:30 at the McLaren Center. BOSS is part of Celebrate USF, a…

Introducing our Fall 2016-17 USF in Washington, D.C. Fellows

USF in DC participants are undergraduate students selected for a semester-long program in Washington, DC that integrates a full-time internship with relevant coursework taught by USF faculty and University of California Washington Program (UC DC) faculty. Students choose from a range of elective courses and internship opportunities that meet their interests and skill sets and…

Meet our 2016-17 Advocates for Community Engagement (ACEs)

Advocates for Community Engagement are socially responsible, civically engaged student leaders who facilitate meaningful service-learning experiences for USF students, faculty, and their host organizations. Primarily, ACEs act as liaisons to ensure the needs and expectations of all stakeholders are accounted for and prioritized. Each ACE makes a one-year commitment to work onsite at Bay Area…

What Narrative Will Emerge from the National Conventions?

During my time as Communications Director for the California Democratic Party, I was responsible for developing and implementing the message and narrative for a total of five annual state party conventions, as well as for the California delegation to the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in 2012. This month, both of the nation’s main political parties are preparing to hold their quadrennial national conventions in Cleveland (RNC) and Philadelphia (DNC). Here’s what I can tell you about working to set and advance a narrative during the largest political event of the season: it’s not easy. – Tenoch Flores

Presidential Primary Election Night 2016

It’s been a memorable summer thus far as a McCarthy Fellow in Sacramento participant. I’ve witnessed the passing and failing of bills on the floor, heated debates among members fueled by whatever life experience had led them to that infamous seat on the floor representing millions of California constituents, yet everything came down to the simple push of a button. Would it be Aye or Nay? – Isabella Gonzalez Potter

MoPA Internship in Washington, D.C.

As a candidate in the Master of Public Affairs program (MoPA), I am spending the summer completing my internship requirement in Washington, D.C. for theGROUP, an independent strategy, policy and communications firm. – Sarah Souza

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