The mission of the Rose Institute of State and Local Government is to enhance the education of students at CMC, to produce high quality research, and to promote public understanding on issues of state and local government, politics, and policy, with an emphasis on California.
The Student Experience
Students accepted into the Rose program work as research assistants under the direction of the Rose academic staff and in collaboration with other faculty members who serve as Rose Fellows. Our research assistants learn the skills of identifying sources of information, assembling and analyzing data, preparing the results of their research in a report for clients or for publication, and presenting it verbally in front of an audience and with supporting media. Research and analytical training includes sessions on understanding local government finance, the use of computer-assisted analysis for demographic and other data, interviewing public officials and others for information, and exercising judgment in the selection and presentation of the results of research. Rose students are expected to develop management skills in designing and executing their research projects, and in organizing and supervising members of a research team. The Rose provides a stipend to its research assistants as a means of helping them with the cost of their education. The Rose Board of Governors meets periodically with students to discuss their projects, and individual members are willing mentors to students in their professional fields.
The Institute’s Research
The Institute’s research interests include fiscal and economic analysis, demographic and political analysis related to redistricting and representation, and assembling data for policy decision-making and to examine the results of particular programs in a variety of policy areas. The results of our research are disseminated in a variety of ways, including in published reports, newsletters, on the internet, and in public forums. In all of its programs and publications, the Rose Institute strives for objectivity and professionalism.