spring 2025
21-23 APR 2025
Sacramento Advocacy Days
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2 MAY 2025
May 2025 Board Meeting, Irvine
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20-22 MAY 2025
DC Day on the Hill
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7 JUN 2025
June 2025 Board Meeting, Online
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5 JUL 2025
July 2025 Board Meeting, Online
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Annual Sacramento Advocacy Days
Sacramento Advocacy Days is an annual initiative organized by the University of California Graduate and Professional Council (UCGPC) that brings graduate and professional students from across UC campuses to the state capital to advocate for issues affecting our community.
The primary purposes of Sacramento Advocacy Days include:
- Direct Engagement with Legislators: Meeting with state senators, assembly members, and their staff to discuss issues important to graduate and professional students.
- Budget Advocacy: Advocating for UC funding and opposing budget cuts that would negatively impact graduate education and research.
- Policy Advancement: Supporting specific bills that benefit graduate and professional students, such as those related to student parents, teaching credential students, and basic needs.
- Building Relationships: Establishing ongoing relationships with legislative offices to provide the graduate student perspective on higher education policy.
- Civic Engagement: Empowering graduate and professional students to participate in the democratic process and learn effective advocacy skills.
During Sacramento Advocacy Days, participants receive training on advocacy strategies, meet with key legislative committee chairs and members, and share their personal stories to illustrate the importance of supporting graduate education in California.
Join us to help shape policies that affect graduate and professional students across the UC system!
Annual Day on the Hill
The DC Day on the Hill is UCGPC’s annual federal advocacy event where graduate and professional students from across the University of California system travel to Washington, DC to advocate for policies that support graduate education and research.
DC Day on the Hill serves several key purposes:
- Federal Advocacy: Engaging directly with legislators, staffers, and federal agencies to advocate for graduate student priorities, including research funding, student loan policies, and support for international and undocumented students.
- Research Funding: Advocating for continued and increased funding for critical research agencies like NIH, NSF, and NEH that support graduate student research and education.
- Professional Development: Providing graduate students with valuable advocacy training and experience in federal policy engagement.
- Amplifying Student Voices: Creating opportunities for graduate students to share their personal stories and experiences with policymakers to influence policy decisions.
- Building Relationships: Establishing and strengthening connections with federal representatives and agencies to ensure graduate student perspectives are considered in policy decisions.
The 2025 DC Day on the Hill is scheduled for May 20-22, with participants arriving on May 19. The event will include training at UCDC, meetings with legislators and federal agencies, and potentially a graduate policy briefing reception at the Capitol.
This annual event demonstrates UCGPC’s commitment to representing the interests of over 60,000 graduate and professional students across the UC system at the federal level.
Official Blog | UCGPC 