Gary Dymski, Professor of Economics and a member of the CHASS faculty since 1991, has been named Director of the University of California Center at Sacramento. Gary will begin his new duties as of July 1.

The University of California Center at Sacramento (UCCS) is being undertaken as a 3-year pilot program of the UC Office of the President. Like the UCDC program, it will bring UC undergraduates to the capitol to engage in combined internship/academic programs. During the pilot phase of the UCCS, 24-30 students per quarter will be selected, approximately 3 from each UC undergraduate campus. And in contrast to the UCDC program, UCCS administration, mentoring, and program activities will be coordinated centrally. Apart from student-centered activities, the UCCS will represent the academic activities of the University of California in the State Capitol. This representation will encompass several distinct activities and interactions: the UCCS will: offer drop-in access to the California Digital Initiative for those involved in state governance; sponsor briefings and policy-research seminars on key issues facing California; expand opportunities for innovative UC graduate and undergraduate research; provide a Sacramento anchor for faculty research and for meetings of multi-campus UC research units; and generally link UC's academic resources more closely with state policy-making processes at a crucial time in the development of both the University and of the State which it serves. The UCCS initiative has been championed by outgoing UC President Richard Atkinson.

The first wave of UCCS student interns will arrive in Sacramento for the Winter 2004 quarter. The UCCS will occupy a portion of the first floor of an historic department-store building on Sacramento's central downtown thoroughfare, a block from the State Capitol. UCR student participants for this program are being recruited by UCR's Career Center. Basic qualifications include: GPA 3.0 or better and Junior standing. Those interested in further information can contact Linda LaTendresse at 787.2736 or visit the UCCS website.

Gary is well-suited to his new role. Prior to beginning his doctoral training in economics, he earned an MPA at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He then held two jobs in the public-service arena in Indiana: we worked as an economic analyst for Legal Services Organization of Indiana, and then as Staff Director for the Democratic Caucus in the Indiana State Senate. Gary worked for Senator Frank O'Bannon, who went on to serve two terms as lieutenant governor and two terms as governor of Indiana.

Gary went from Indiana to doctoral studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, concluding this period with a year as a Research Fellow inEconomic Studies at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. After several years at the University of Southern California, Gary joined UCR's Department of Economics in 1991 as Assistant Professor. He has subsequently been promoted to Professor. His publications include the 1999 book The Bank Merger Wave, 4 edited volumes, and over 100 journal articles and book chapters. Gary has lectured in Portugal, England, Brazil, Colombia, Japan, South Korea, and South Africa; he has been a visiting scholar at the Bangladesh Institute for Development Studies, the University of Tokyo, and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

Gary served as CHASS Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies in the 2001-2002 academic year; in the academic year now coming to an end, he oversaw the planning phase of UCR's newly established Center for Sustainable Suburban Development. Gary has received several teaching and mentorship awards while at UCR: he was named Honors Program Professor of the Year in 1990, he was made an honorary Lifetime Member of the Golden Key Society in 2002, and he received a Certificate of Appreciation from the For Sisters Only student organization in 2003.