County Launches Stanford in Government Public Policy Fellowships
PRESS RELEASE
SAN JOSE – At the instigation of County Supervisor Joe Simitian, this summer Santa Clara County launched a new partnership with the Stanford University Haas Center for Public Service student organization, Stanford in Government (SIG), to provide Stanford undergraduate students with fellowships across various County departments.
Simitian said he was motivated by his own experience with SIG fellows in his office, both at the Board of Supervisors and during his time in the Legislature. “My experience has been uniformly great,” he said. “The Stanford students I’ve worked with have been smart, motivated to learn more about public service, and great contributors. Growing the program here at the County is a win-win — good for the students and good for us.”
This summer, the program began as a pilot project, with six Stanford students working on a range of issues confronting the County. Based on the enthusiastic reaction of both the students and various County departments, the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to continue this endeavor for the next three years.
“Getting young folks involved in public policy and exposing them to local government functions is an important part of having a better-informed community,” said Simitian. “The County is glad to help support this vision and proud to work alongside these talented students.”
The County fellowships are part of a larger Stanford initiative called Cardinal Quarter which will expand quarter-long full-time opportunities to 500 by the year 2020. Cardinal Quarter is spearheaded by Stanford University’s Haas Center for Public Service, a center that is part of Student Affairs and connects Stanford undergraduates to various public service offices at the local, state, national and international level. Haas Center and SIG representatives worked closely with Santa Clara County agencies and departments to create fellowship positions that allow students to conduct research across a variety of policy areas, including women’s policy, the justice system, and healthcare, to name a few. The fellowships offer students a chance to develop a professional skillset and analyze pertinent topics.
SIG Fellow Gabriella Johnson was placed at the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. “I’m exploring potential local policy strategies for violence prevention,” says Johnson. “Due to the complexity and emotional weight of the issue of violence, my work has been especially challenging, and thus, rewarding.”
“Working at the Office of Pretrial Services has been an enlightening experience,” says Stanford in Government Fellow Jimmy Zhou. “I never realized how severe the problem of pretrial detention was until I got to examine it closely. Hopefully, I can contribute to the work of this agency in the nine weeks that I’m with them.”
The County is host to six students this summer and is actively providing resources for them to perform research across different disciplines. The Board of Supervisors has allocated $30,000 per year for three years to fund this project and holds interns to a high standard. This fellowship involves rigorous work for 35 hours per week for nine weeks. Students work alongside County agencies and staff to develop learning goals and work plans.
For more information about Stanford in Government, visit https://sig.stanford.edu/.