The Rose Institute of State and Local Government was founded in 1973 at Claremont McKenna College to study issues facing California’s state and local governments. For the past half-century, the Institute’s faculty, staff, and students have studied and, in many cases, shaped policy in the Golden State.
The Institute was named in honor of its founding donor, Edessa Rose. Born in 1903, Mrs. Rose was one of the few women lawyers of her generation and in 1972 became CMC’s first female trustee. Mrs. Rose was deeply interested in politics and enthusiastically supported the college’s effort to create an institute that focused on state and local government.
In its early days, the Rose Institute established expertise in demographics, voting behavior, public opinion, and redistricting. During the 1970s and 1980s, it developed the nation’s first comprehensive statewide demographic and political database, and through this work became a national leader in census tracking and the use of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. The Institute played a significant part in the California redistrictings of 1970-73, 1980-83, and 1991. Later, it diversified into areas such as fiscal policy, direct democracy, voter education, federalism, and California’s competitiveness. The Institute also has supported various political reform efforts, including the establishment in 2008 of California’s Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission. Moreover, it convened many policy conferences and sponsored talks by leaders in public affairs from across the ideological spectrum. In all its work, the Rose Institute has sought to promote good government, civic education, and democratic engagement.
In all its activities, the Rose Institute has advanced the college’s mission of preparing students for lives of responsible leadership. Over the past five decades, more than 450 students of Claremont McKenna College, Claremont Graduate University, and the other Claremont Colleges have served as Rose Institute research assistants. Our students meaningfully contribute to all Institute projects and, in so doing, receive experience in real-world policy that is unique for a liberal arts college.
Rose Institute alumni have gone on to pursue accomplished careers in government and the professions. In 20__, the Institute established an association for its former research assistants. The Rose Institute Alumni Society promotes continued connection among Rose alumni, the Institute, and the College. Many of our alumni serve on the Institute’s Board of Governors, contribute to current projects, mentor students, and give talks on campus.
The Rose Institute is guided by a distinguished and engaged Board of Governors. The Board’s first chair was Robert Finch, a former California Lt. Governor and U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. Other notable Board members have included Governor Pete Wilson, Assembly Speakers Jesse M. Unruh and Robert Hertzberg, and Secretary of State March Fong Eu. The Board is currently led by Chair Ryder Todd Smith, CMC ’97, and includes prominent elected and appointed public officials, attorneys, journalists, entrepreneurs, and other civic leaders, all of whom are committed to the Rose Institute’s mission.
The Institute’s research program is supported by the faculty of the Claremont Colleges. At present, the Institute has a board of Faculty Advisors comprised of Professors Andrew Busch, Michael Fortner, Emily Pears, Shanna Rose, and Andrew Sinclair, as well as additional faculty affiliates.
The Rose Institute has had four directors in its 50-year history: the founding director, Alan Heslop (1973-2001); Ralph Rossum (2000-2010); Andrew Busch (2011-2021), and Ken Miller (2021-present). Miller also currently holds CMC’s Don H. and Edessa Rose Chair in State and Local Government. Several long-time staff members have made essential contributions to the Institute’s success, including former Associate Director Florence Adams (1996-2009), Administrative Coordinator Marionette Moore (1997-present), and Assistant Director Bipasa Nadon (2010-present).
Steeped in a rich history, the Rose Institute is poised to continue its mission “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.”