The University of California’s Sacramento Center will become a permanent component of the UC system today, strengthening student and faculty ties to the capital city.

Launched in 2003 as a pilot program, the center has already served 420 students from all 10 campuses, providing instruction in public policy and journalism, which students can augment with political seminars and internships.

UC Provost Wyatt R. Hume will formally launch the center tonight at a reception in Sacramento. Officials hope that by making the center permanent, its resources can reach a greater number of students for years to come, similar to programs at the UCDC center – the Sacramento center’s counterpart in Washington, D.C..

“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,” Hume said in a press statement.

The center, which includes classrooms and research facilities, has ties to journalistic institutions like the Committee of Concerned Journalists and the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, which helps to facilitate teaching and research, Hume said.

UCLA students who have participated in programs at the center praised the opportunities to learn public policy and journalism and use the knowledge in applied settings.

Aaron Israel, a fourth-year political science student, lived and took classes on California Political Economy at the Sacramento Center in summer 2007 while interning for the director of constituent affairs in Gov. Arnold Schwarzenneger’s office.

“(Students) get entranced with the idea of going to Washington, D.C., but UC Sacramento provides a nice alternative. There’s a lot going on, and it allows for more first-hand exposure,” Israel said.

Beth McCullough-Sanden, a fourth-year political science student, also participated in the summer 2007 session and said the classes sharpened her critical thinking skills and knowledge of California issues.

“We were forced to solve real problems pertaining to California, asked to give proposals of how we would fix water, transportation, education issues,” McCullough-Sanden said.

Hoping to attend law school, McCullough-Sanden worked in the legal affairs office of the Department of Rehabilitation.

“We would actually go out to prisons and spend time with the people,” McCullough-Sanden said.

McCullough-Sanden said the community environment the center offers was beneficial, bringing students together from all 10 campuses.

“It creates a great social and career network. A lot of times people get job offers at the end of the program and stay in Sacramento,” McCullough-Sanden said.

Though some students find internships on their own before arriving in Sacramento, the center has an internship coordinator who aids students in finding positions.

While many choose to work in government, opportunities abound in the private sector as well, Israel said.