The Panetta Institute for Public Policy

Founded in 1997 by Leon and Sylvia Panetta, the Panetta Institute is located at California State University, Monterey Bay, and serves the entire CSU system plus several other schools. Under the direction of Sylvia Panetta, the Institute provides a variety of study opportunities in government, politics and public policy, and sponsors a range of other activities to benefit the surrounding communities.

Each year, the Panetta Institute Lecture Series brings national political leaders and policy thinkers to the Monterey Peninsula to discuss important issues of the day. We also sponsor periodic Issue Forums, bringing together government leaders and policy experts to address topics of particular interest. In addition, the Institute conducts an annual nationwide survey of college students, gauging their interest in politics and civic involvement. (See our latest “Youth Civic Engagement Survey” conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates.)

capitol_dome Our Congressional Internship Program gives selected students from throughout the CSU system, along with other schools, an opportunity to get a firsthand look at the legislative process by working in a congressional office in Washington, D.C. Our annual Leadership Seminar provides student-body officers with skills to meet leadership challenges on campus, in local communities and in future public service.

In 2003, the Institute launched a Master of Public Policy program in concert with CSU Monterey Bay. This program offers a concentration in government and politics that emphasizes the actual practice of policymaking. We have also developed a Policy Research Fellows Program, which offers students from participating law schools an opportunity to study here and explore the holdings of the Leon E. Panetta Archive.

The Leon E. Panetta Archive offers a resource for scholars interested in the workings of Congress, the White House, federal agencies and local government based on Leon’s personal papers spanning more than thirty years of public service.

In addition, the Institute helps coordinate the Monterey County Reads program, recruiting hundreds of reading volunteers in our surrounding communities to work with children in kindergarten through third grade.

In all its activities and programs, the Panetta Institute makes a special effort to recruit and include students of diverse racial, cultural and economic backgrounds. We actively encourage an atmosphere of free and open inquiry respectful of political differences, and we promulgate a code of conduct that condemns any form of discrimination or harassment based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law.