Nancy Pelosi's post-Congress plan: Launches UC Berkeley political center

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who has served nearly 40 years in Congress to become one of the most influential power brokers, on Monday announced who she will replace when she leaves office in January: UC Berkeley students.

The Nancy Pelosi Institute for Representative Democracy, which will be launched with tens of millions of dollars in gifts from Pelosi and other donors, will seek to bring leading academics to campus, nurture students' aspirations for public service, and position itself as a Bay Area counterweight to the university's major political centers that often attract former members of Congress and White House staff.

Pelosi (D-San Francisco) joins a long tradition of university-focused politicians. Harvard's Institute of Politics, founded in 1966 in memory of President Kennedy, is among the best known. USC's Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics holds the title of California's longest-serving speaker of the Assembly. Stanford's Hoover Institution has housed former Secretaries of State and national security advisers for decades.

At a university famous for its role in the fight against the left wing during the free speech movement of the 1960s and the protests against the Vietnam War, Pelosi vows to promote a non-partisan academic effort.

“The work of democracy is endless, and protecting its future is our greatest calling,” Pelosi said in an interview with The Times. He described the move as a deliberate departure from a “collaborative political arena” to create an environment where Republicans and Democrats — including, potentially, Trump-aligned figures — can deliberate and learn about America's political culture.

Pelosi, who made history as the first female speaker of the House, said her goal is to make sure students understand what the founders built, which she believes is now in jeopardy.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) holds the gavel after being sworn in as the first female speaker of the House in 2007 as Rep. John A. Boehner looks on.

(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“Separation of powers is the beauty, the wonderful beauty of the Constitution. Yes, that is falling apart right now,” he said, referring to his ongoing criticism of President Trump. The framers of the Constitution “did not want a dictator, a king, a dictator.”

The center, based in UC Berkeley's Charles and Louise Travers Department of Political Science, plans to reach 500 students a year with a dozen or more courses open to graduates of all majors. In the spring, Pelosi will co-teach a course on Congress with Berkeley political scientist Eric Schickler, who co-directs the Institute for Governmental Studies.

The Pelosi Institute will also host two visiting fellows a year – drawn from the fields of politics and public policy – and support student research on policies related to climate change, wealth inequality, electoral reforms that can reduce segregation, criminal justice, and whether artificial intelligence can strengthen democracy.

The center will also host an annual forum and establish a public exhibit on Pelosi's congressional career.

The former Speaker of the House said that he views this institution as a two-way exchange. He would give his work experience and political network to Berkeley while “learning from students and faculty about what we should be talking about as we move forward” in politics.

Pelosi – a San Francisco Democrat with one of the longest terms in the House, who in the last decade, has been one of the strongest voices against Trump – presented the challenge of promoting the campus and the educational institution with non-participating equipment.

UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons, trying on a band hat, insists that the Pelosi facility will not be involved.

(Don Feria / For The Times)

In an interview, UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons didn't argue: “Full stop, this is going to be a non-profit institution. The fact that it's public means the standard is very high.”

The 'departure' of collective politics

Pelosi said she is largely transferring the keys to managing the center and its programs to Berkeley, while lending her name, conference expertise and connections to promote its growth. As for whether figures from the Trump administration could be invited as guests, Pelosi was cautious, but did not rule it out.

“I'm not that impressed with this Cabinet right now, but that's not because it's Republican,” he said. “You never know… We never thought that one of our democratic champions would be [former Vice President] Mike Pence even was. “

The representative who led Trump's two impeachments is building an institution whose credibility depends, in part, on his ability to separate his political views from its agenda. He acknowledged the tension.

“I allow this as a departure from the political arena,” Pelosi said. “I think the importance of being associated with an institution of higher education, instead of just having my own foundation to do things, is that there will be no bias. I think there is a lot of power in that.”

It's not Pelosi's first foray into academic life. She and her husband, Paul Pelosi — a Georgetown alumnus — established the Paul F. Pelosi Scholars Initiative at Georgetown's Walsh School of Foreign Service in 2018, supporting students pursuing public careers.

But the Berkeley campus would be his most ambitious academic commitment. Of the $50 million fundraising goal, $35 million has been raised. Pelosi declined to say how much she donated.

Pelosi, 86, first won election to Congress in 1987, and is one of San Francisco's best-known citizens. He plans to stay in the city and will commute to Berkeley.

A nonpartisan mission, Lyons acknowledged, will require vigilance in an institution with strong political affiliations. “We have to separate Berkeley from the caricature of Berkeley that some people had in their minds 60 years ago,” he said.

Scott Straus, chair of the UC Berkeley Political Science department, said the political balance of the tour program is open and that “a wide range of political views” is “definitely our goal.”

The opinion of 'Professor' Pelosi

Schickler, a professor of political science and co-director of the Institute of Governmental Studies, will co-teach a course on Congress with Pelosi beginning in the spring of 2027.

“His opinion on this was: this institution is only successful if we give our department the power to do the things we want to do, but don't have the resources to do them,” he said.

Schickler said Pelosi's name has come up many times in her classes as an exercise lesson, such as her role in pushing for passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010.

He also pointed out the inequality the institution is designed to address: In elite private universities with similar institutions, students benefit from illegal access to former office holders and well-funded internships and job pipelines.

“At Berkeley,” Schickler said, “resource issues and the scale of Berkeley make it very challenging.” Undergraduate students who will enter the institution, he added, “do not grow up like elite children.”

Pelosi said that the center will train lawyers, editors and civil servants in many areas. “Whatever we do in Congress works internally,” he said, “but without external integration, we've never been able to pass it or keep it.”

For him, this institution is also a legacy bid. Before stepping down as House Democratic leader in 2022 and declaring last year that she would not seek re-election, Pelosi faced pressure from younger Democrats who wanted new voices at the top. He considers the Berkeley partnership his investment in the future.

“As I look forward to seeing the amazing ideas and leaders that will emerge from this institution,” Pelosi said, “I think of the words emblazoned on Abraham Lincoln's coat of arms — 'One Country. One Future.'