Assembly Fellowship Program
 Jesse M. Unruh Assembly Fellowship Program
The California State Assembly Fellowship Program, founded in 1957, is one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious legislative fellowship programs. In 1987, the program was renamed the Jesse Marvin Unruh Assembly Fellowship Program to honor California's former Assembly Speaker and State Treasurer. This unique program provides an opportunity for individuals of all ages, ethnic backgrounds and experiences to directly participate in the legislative process. Each year, 18 individuals are selected to participate in the program. The 11-month fellowship provides an introduction to public policy formation and adoption in the California Legislature through full-time work as a professional legislative staff member.
The Assembly Fellowship Program is co-sponsored by the California State Assembly and California State University, Sacramento, through the Center for California Studies. Assembly Fellows receive a monthly stipend of $1,972, as well as medical, dental and vision benefits.
Graduate Students
Assembly fellows receive fully-paid enrollment at California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento State), and earn graduate units for seminars taught by faculty from the Sacramento State Government Department. The graduate seminars are a required segment of the fellowship program.
Office Placement
Fellows are placed in the Capitol offices of Assembly Members. They perform a variety of tasks in different issue areas. Some of these legislative tasks may include drafting and staffing legislation, writing committee analyses, responding to constituent letters, writing speeches, meeting with constituents, tracking legislation, or researching policy issues.
Qualifications and Application Requirements
- Applicants must be 20 years of age by September 1, 2010.
- Applicants must have completed a bachelor's degree by September 1, 2010.
- There are no preferred majors. Recent fellows have had backgrounds in such diverse fields as child development, religious studies, law and biochemistry.
- Applicants must furnish academic, employment and activities data, transcripts from colleges attended, a personal statement, a policy statement on a specific topic contained in the application, and three references.
- Individuals with advanced degrees or those in mid-career are encouraged to apply.
Selection Process
The selection process has two stages. During the first stage, completed applications are screened by the fellowship selection committee. The selection committee includes staff from Sacramento State and the State Assembly. Among the qualities looked for in future fellows are scholastic achievement, oral and written communication skills, analytic skills, campus and community service involvement, political awareness, and leadership potential. Approximately 70 applicants are notified in April of their selection for a personal interview. Interviews take place in late April/early May in Sacramento and Los Angeles. The selection committee selects fellows and alternates after interviews and written notifications are mailed in May. The deliberations of the selection committee are confidential and final. All applications become property of the program.
Fellowship Calendar
The Assembly Fellowship Program begins in October, and concludes in September of the following year.
The application postmark deadline for the 2010-2011 Assembly Fellowship Program February 24, 2010.
Click HERE to apply for the 2010-2011 Assembly Fellowship Program.
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If you have questions regarding the Assembly Fellowship Program, call (916) 278-6906 or e-mail: calstudies@csus.edu. |
