The Great Valley Fellows Program was a nine-month academic, coursework-related program followed by an intensive two-month community-based immersion program designed to explore and gain a deeper understanding of policy issues facing California’s most rapidly growing and changing region.

During the community-based portion, the Fellows participated in site visits, tours and activities that helped shape personal and group experiences and further their understanding of issues facing the Great Central Valley.

Applications for the Great Valley Fellows Program are available through the University of California, Merced, not the Great Valley Center. UC Merced students interested in participating should contact their major professor for more information and other requirements.

Universities other than University of California Merced may participate in the program. Non-UC Merced students can obtain information on how they can participate in the two-month summer program by contacting the Great Valley Center at info@greatvalley.org.

There are few threats to the well-being of a region than the loss of young talent, but intensive, experience-based training for promising young professionals can stem the brain drain and make a substantial contribution to regions most in need.

The Great Valley Fellows Program, as originally conceived, began in 2002 with college graduates recruited from throughout the country to spend 11 months living and working in communities throughout the Valley. Great Valley Fellows included both Valley natives and “transplants” from outside the region and state.

All Fellows shared stellar college backgrounds and demonstrated leadership potential, and most had little if any work experience outside of college jobs.

Over the 11 month period, each Great Valley Fellow wsa placed throughout the Central Valley, allowing them to serve a wide variety of communities both urban and rural. The bulk of the Fellows’ time was spent in apprenticeships typically lasting six to eight weeks. The apprenticeships were in a variety of sectors, including Nonprofit organizations, Government agencies, Private businesses, Political campaigns and Media organizations.

The job placements were punctuated by intense, expert-led seminars on a range of public policy topics. The goal was to provide the Fellows with diverse experiences while contributing to a broad cross-section of Valley organizations.

The Fellows also spent considerable time examining the challenges of public policy issues in depth through "Focus Weeks" with topics including water, land use, economy and poverty, agriculture, arts and culture. These intense weeks included meetings and meals with policy experts representing a diversity of perspectives, tours, hands-on service, and hours of debate amongst the Fellows.

The final core component of the program was training on topics such as facilitation, public speaking, and policy analysis. The most memorable trainings provided the Fellows with the chance to understand themselves better – their strengths and weaknesses in communication, decision making, and working in groups. Throughout the year, the Fellows had group and individual assignments designed to apply their training to real-life projects.

Over the 3 years of the program in this format, 43 participants from more than 20 universities graduated from the program. More than half of them ultimately began or pursued their careers within the Valley. In 2006, the program was redesigned with an academic component through the University of California, Merced.