The Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center is a nonpartisan institution dedicated to the study of American democracy and the Congress through teaching, research, and public service. The Center offers academic programs in congressional studies at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. The four-year graduate fellowship is a fully financed program in pursuit of a doctoral degree.
Undergraduate research fellows engage in collaborative work with political science faculty. The Center’s Congressional Archives is a national and international resources dedicated to preserving the history of the Congress. Among the largest of such archives in the country, it holds the papers of 60 former members of congress, most of which served Oklahoma, and close to 20 other individuals with close ties to congressional politics. The Center promotes a wider understanding of public service through its programming, such as the biennial Julian J. Rothbaum Distinguished Lecture in Representative Government, the congressional issues journal Extensions, and the Women’s Leadership Initiative, which sponsors programs such as N.E.W. Leadership to address the under-representation of women in politics and public service. The Center also engage undergraduate students in public service through the Capitol Scholars, Community Scholars, and Civic Engagement programs. The Carl Albert Center is a member of the Association of Centers for the Study of Congress; Harvard University’s National Campaign for Political and Civic Engagement; and The NEW Leadership Development Network sponsored by the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.
