Across the Aisle

With political polarization at a historic high and Republicans and Democrats more ideologically divided than at any point in the last three decades, the need for civil, fact-based dialogue has never been more urgent. At USC, one center is meeting that need with uncommon clarity and purpose.

Founded in 2018 by veteran Democratic strategist Bob Shrum and Republican campaign consultant Mike Murphy, the Center for the Political Future at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences bridges academia and practical politics. Its mission is bold but vital: to promote respectful political conversations, encourage active civic participation and prepare the next generation of leaders to navigate diverse viewpoints with integrity and empathy.

“What I hoped, beyond just putting all this together, was that we would serve students really well and enrich their education by connecting them with the real world of politics,” Shrum says.

“We also wanted to have an impact beyond the university’s gates — what former USC Dornsife Dean [Amber D.] Miller called the ‘academy in the public square,’” he adds. “Our programming isn’t just followed by our students; it’s followed by people throughout the community.”

“Today’s polarized political environment makes it difficult to engage in constructive dialogue, and social media has made these challenges even more daunting,” says USC Interim President Beong-Soo Kim. “That’s why it’s so important for USC to stand as a place that welcomes a broad range of viewpoints and encourages students and faculty to engage with ideas different from their own. The Center for the Political Future serves as a model for how people across the ideological spectrum can unite around a shared commitment to core democratic values.”

Born from bipartisanship 

USC’s commitment to bridging political divides spans decades. In 1978, the university established the Institute of Politics to combine academic study with practical political experience. Unlike traditional political science departments, which focus mainly on theory, the institute emphasized hands-on learning through internships, career preparation and small, impactful conferences that nurtured both political and professional growth.

In 1987, the institute was renamed the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics in honor of the influential California lawmaker known for his sharp political instincts and dedication to public service. For nearly 30 years, the Unruh Institute quietly shaped future civic leaders, becoming a key hub of political education on the West Coast.

That legacy took a new turn in 2016, when USC tapped one of the most storied figures in Democratic politics to chart a new path forward.

Shrum had spent decades at the highest echelons of American and international politics. In the United States, he advised Senate campaigns for Joe Biden, John Glenn, Edward Kennedy and Barbara Mikulski, and served as a senior strategist for presidential candidates Al Gore and John Kerry. His influence has extended well beyond American borders: Shrum worked with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, the prime minister of Ireland, the president of Colombia, and the British Labour Party, including Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

“Bob is a genius in his own way — not just for his eloquence, his debating skills or strategic mind. He is a good man who believes in America, in the goodness of people and in the idea that we can make the world a better place,” says Brown, who was appointed Distinguished Scholar at the USC Schaeffer Institute in September. “He’s spent his life working toward that. Bob is someone who has helped shape America — and in many ways, the world — through the work he’s done.”

When asked to lead the institute’s transformation, Shrum agreed on one condition: The new center couldn’t just claim to be nonpartisan — it had to embody nonpartisanship. And that meant sharing the helm with someone who represented the other side of the political spectrum both in résumé and philosophy.

Shrum extended the invitation to his longtime political rival, Republican strategist Mike Murphy, a sharp-witted tactician who had spent decades winning tough races for GOP heavyweights like Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney and Arnold Schwarzenegger. A veteran of six Republican presidential campaigns and a familiar face on NBC, CNN and NPR, Murphy was known for his irreverent humor, no-nonsense messaging and keen instincts for the political pulse.

“Bob Shrum and I have been fierce political opponents, yet good friends, for decades,” Murphy says. “The sly fox Shrum took me out for margaritas, and before I knew it, I signed up to help lead the center.

“I’m very proud of the work we do here: striving for a politics where you have opponents but not enemies and debate over a common set of facts, not ceaseless political warfare for its own sake,” Murphy adds.

Together, Shrum and Murphy became the founding co-directors of what would be named the USC Center for the Political Future (CPF). To this day, it remains the only institute of politics in the nation led jointly by a Democrat and a Republican.

A real-world laboratory for democracy

What began as a campus initiative has evolved into a national model for restoring civility, fostering intellectual diversity and preparing the next generation of public leaders. CPF blends academic rigor with real-world political engagement, creating a space where students don’t just study politics — they live it.

At the heart of CPF’s programming is its signature Fellows Program. Each semester, the center brings in a bipartisan cohort of political professionals — including former senators, campaign managers, speechwriters and media strategists — to serve as fellows-in-residence. These fellows lead small, discussion-based study groups of 10 to 15 students, offering a behind the- scenes look at how politics really works.

“Los Angeles is known for its dominant industries — entertainment, aerospace, tourism — but politics isn’t usually one of them,” says Kamy Akhavan, CPF’s managing director. “And yet, politics is such a normal and important part of our world. Most people here know actors or engineers, but they don’t necessarily know anyone who’s worked behind the scenes in government or on a campaign. That’s what CPF brings to USC — direct access to the political world, from Washington to Sacramento.

“Our students get personal, face-to-face insight from people who’ve shaped policy, run campaigns and led in the public arena. It’s mentorship at the highest level,” he adds.

CPF’s “Pizza and Politics” series adds another layer of accessibility. These informal gatherings give students the chance to engage with fellows over a slice of pizza and a spirited conversation — no lectures, no scripts, just real talk about real issues.

“The mission has never been stronger,” says Betsey Fischer Martin, Emmy-winning journalist and former TV news executive, who joined CPF as a spring 2025 fellow. “It’s about fostering civic dialogue and helping students understand what’s happening in the world around them. It encourages them to put down their phones, step away from social media and engage in real conversations.

“Whether with each other or with political professionals, these interactions help them make sense of the larger world they’re stepping into,” she says. “What’s powerful is creating space for young people to come together in small groups to learn in a way that’s simple, engaging and safe — especially in a world that doesn’t always feel that way.”

Mentorship that opens doors

The impact of the fellows program extends far beyond the classroom. Fellows often become mentors themselves, helping students land internships in Washington, Sacramento and beyond. These connections have launched careers in government, advocacy, journalism and more. “For a lot of students who aren’t normally exposed to the political world, this is their entry point,” Akhavan says. “They’re not just watching from the sidelines — they’re engaging with the country’s most prominent political figures and building up their own networks so they can expand their impact.”

That access is transformative. Fellows have helped students secure opportunities with leaders across the political spectrum — from former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Lee Zeldin. Those connections often continue long after graduation.

“Whether they want to run for office, work in advocacy, start their own nonprofit or take some other path entirely, we’re helping them take those first steps,” Akhavan says. “From their Trojan perch, they go out and make the world a better place.”

Bringing the public into the conversation

CPF actively collaborates with campus groups and external organizations to host public events featuring nationally recognized figures, fostering open and respectful dialogue on urgent issues.

Its marquee events — including the Climate Forward Conference, held jointly with USC Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability, and the Warschaw Conference on Practical Politics — address urgent topics such as climate change, elections, immigration and social justice with a focus on evidence-based discussion and openness to diverse perspectives.

CPF also collaborates with media partners to co-host major televised political debates, including the 2024 California Senate debate featuring candidates vying to succeed the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

“If you had asked me 10 years ago why a bipartisan center was important, I would have had a different answer,” says Barbara Boxer, a former Democractic U.S. senator, Marin County supervisor and fall 2020 CPF fellow. “But now, it’s not just important; it’s necessary. It’s an emergency. We’re not talking to each other across party lines. I can tell you from personal experience: Everything I accomplished over all those years — all the thousands of things I got done — I always did it with a Republican. We’ve got to get back to those times. The fact that this center brings us together, allows us to look each other in the eye and find common ground — that’s critical.”

CPF’s work also extends to addressing broader social challenges that threaten democratic values, including efforts to confront rising intolerance and preserve critical historical truths. In 2023, it co-sponsored a special convening with USC Shoah Foundation that brought together international diplomats, scholars, community leaders and survivors to discuss the importance of preserving Holocaust memory in the face of growing antisemitism.

One of the center’s flagship events is the annual Young Women’s Leadership Conference, which brings together high school students from across Los Angeles at USC for a day focused on leadership development and civic engagement. Held during Women’s History Month, the event offers hands-on workshops led by elected officials, community advocates and USC student mentors.

For many attendees, the conference is their first experience on a college campus. The event has helped hundreds of young women become more civically engaged, with some going on to pursue roles in government, nonprofit organizations and the offices of elected officials at every level.

“The conference helped me just by being able to talk to some elected officials who have really made an impact on their community,” says Maya Reval, a student at Culver City High School and 2025 conference participant. “As a young woman and as a woman of color, seeing panelists who have made changes and who I feel resemble who I am was really inspiring.”

More than talk

CPF encourages students to be active participants in democracy through programs that make civic engagement visible and accessible.

Each election cycle, CPF organizes voter registration drives, hosts informational events and collaborates with student organizations and campus groups to promote civic awareness. Since 2022, USC has also served as an official voting location, hosting mobile vote centers on both the University Park and Health Sciences campuses, as well as secure ballot drop boxes.

Through voter registration drives, mobile voting centers and partnerships with USC Athletics and student organizations, CPF helped boost student voter turnout from 17% in 2014 to nearly 74% in 2020, and 33% in 2022.

“CPF really helped me educate myself about the influence of voting and how it directly impacts us on a day-to-day basis,” says former CPF administrative coordinator Arija Martin, who graduated from USC Dornsife in May with a bachelor’s degree in international relations.

Lessons in respectful disagreement

More than five years into its mission, CPF has built a campus culture where it’s safe — and valuable — to disagree. Students learn to frame issues around shared values, not partisan identities, and to approach politics with humility and curiosity.

“If there’s a way out of the division we’re facing as a country, it will likely begin with programs like this — educating, informing and actively showing the next generation of leaders how to work with people they don’t agree with,” says former CPF fellow Mike Madrid, principal at Grassroots Lab, a premier campaign-management and lobbying firm in California.

“I haven’t seen that anywhere else. You might see sparks of it in other places, but you don’t see it take root and grow the way it has here at USC,” Madrid says. “But more than that, it’s a roadmap to the future — one that could help fix what ails us as a country and begin to heal what’s broken in our political system.” Students echo that sentiment.

For Will Erens, politics doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game. The former CPF student, who graduated from USC Dornsife in May with a bachelor’s degree in political economy, says the center fundamentally reshaped how he views public discourse.

“Every day, across nearly every area of policy, we encounter issues that ought to unite people but instead deepen partisan divides,” Erens says. “That kind of tribalism slows progress and ends up hurting everyone — from college students to military officers to farmers.

“As someone who’s fairly centrist and cares about forward-thinking policies in tech and national security, I think it’s essential that we learn to collaborate and engage in civil dialogue,” Erens adds. “The Center for the Political Future has been an incubator for that. It helped me understand the political landscape, meet fascinating people and learn to approach complex policy challenges from all sides.”

For Eleanor Love ’26, a USC Dornsife undergraduate majoring in public policy and data analytics, student worker at CPF and president of Political Union — the multipartisan student organization affiliated with CPF — the connection is deeply personal.

“CPF has been my home on campus for years,” she says. “When I first arrived as a freshman, my introductory public policy classes made it clear that polarized politics are unsustainable and unproductive.”

Her first exposure to CPF came through Political Union’s weekly meetings and events, where she met peers with widely different perspectives, was challenged intellectually and formed some of her closest friendships.

“Helping advance CPF’s mission, providing students with a safe space to learn and talk politics of all kinds, seeing its impact on campus — it’s been one of the most special parts of my college experience,” she says.

A vision for the future

As Shrum prepares to step down as director, CPF is ready to build on its strong foundation. Looking ahead, it aims to broaden its efforts to combat misinformation, boost voter participation and foster greater inclusion across campus and beyond.

“I hope that it continues to grow — both in terms of what it’s able to do and the resources it’s able to deploy,” Shrum says. “I hope that 20 years from now, new generations of students are benefiting from it — and benefiting in ways that are maybe even bigger than what we’re doing now.”