Pi Sigma Alpha was founded in
1920 at the University of Texas for the purpose of bringing together
students and faculty interested in the study of government and politics.
Professor C. Perry Patterson was an early leader of the first chapter
and served as national president of PSA
from 1920 until 1932. The success of the honor society
at the University of Texas prompted other institutions to apply for chapters,
with the Universities of Oklahoma and Kansas establishing chapters by
1922. In March of that year the society held its first national convention
at the University of Oklahoma.
Growth in the honor society was
gradual throughout the 'twenties and 'thirties and accelerated after
the Second World War; today there are over 460 chapters throughout the
country. There is at least one college or university with a PSA chapter in every state and
the District of Columbia and, as of 1995, the U. S. territory of Guam.
The purpose of PSA is to stimulate scholarship and interest in the subject of
government by providing tangible recognition to students who have excelled
in the field.
Minimum standards for admission, established
by the national constitution, are as follows: completion of ten semester
hours of work in government, political science, international relations
or public administration including at least one course not open to students
in the first two years of collegiate work; maintenance of an average
grade of B or higher in all political science courses; an overall academic
standing in the upper third of the college class. Individual chapters
may, and often do, adopt higher scholastic standards in their by-laws
than these national minimum requirements.
The Notre Dame chapter requires prospective
students to have completed six government or political science courses,
earning a B or higher in each. The chapter also requires a minimum cumulative
GPA of 3.55 out of 4.0.
Pi Sigma Alpha gives
students the opportunity for valuable administrative experience as chapter
officers or organizers of chapter activities. Chapters can compete for
the Chapters Activities Grants awarded each year by the national Office.
Members are also eligible to compete for the PSA
Graduate Scholarship, the Graduate and Undergraduate
Best Paper Awards, and a one year student membership in the American Political
Science Association, funded by the National Office for one student selected
by each chapter each year.
Chapter Activity Grants Competition, which gives chapters an opportunity
to win grants for projects they might not otherwise be able to afford,
and gives students excellent experience in writing proposals and budgets,
carrying out funded activities, and writing reports. The program announcement
goes out in the fall of each year with a late November deadline; the awards
committee meets in early December and announces grants immediately thereafter.
The current budget for this program is $25,000. The maximum grant award
for a chapter is $2,000.
Best Paper Awards for Graduate and Undergraduate Students,
for which each chapter advisor may nominate one undergraduate and one
graduate student paper per year. Nominations are due on June 1; winners
are announced by July 15. The cash awards amount to $250 each for the
best graduate and undergraduate student papers, and $100 apiece for runners-up.
Howard Penniman Scholarships for Graduate
Study, awarded annually to three undergraduates entering graduate programs
in political science. Nominations must come from the chapter advisors,
accompanied by an official application and supporting documents as specified
in the program announcement. Nominations are due by April 1, and the winner
is announced by May 1. Each scholarship is $1,500.
Howard Penniman Scholarships
for Graduate Study, awarded annually to three undergraduates entering
graduate programs in political science. Nominations must come from the
chapter advisors, accompanied by an official application and supporting
documents as specified in the program announcement. Nominations are due
by April 1, and the winner is announced by May 1. Each scholarship is
$1,500.
Best Chapter Awards, are cash awards of $500 to one or two chapters in
each of three college enrollment categories. The selection is based on
chapters' annual reports to the National Office, and other evidence of
extraordinary levels of activity. The winning chapters may use the prizes
for any activity they wish.
Distinguished Speaker Series. Videotapes of lectures given
by distinguished political scientistsat the annual meeting of the American
Political Science Association. Videotapes are distributed upon request
to local chapters free of charge.
APSA Student Membership Awards. Each chapter
is entitled to award a one-year student membership in the American Political
Science Association to one outstanding student each year. Chapters need
only identify the student to the National Office for the membership to
be instated.
The Executive Director is responsible for preparing the budget of the society
and for managing its finances. The honor society's revenue comes primarily
from initiation fees for new members, charter fees for new chapters, and
the interest earned on its modest capital reserve. There is a very small
markup charged on Pi Sigma Alpha jewelry, medallions, and mugs. The markup
covers the administrative costs of handling the orders, makes it possible
to offer the items at a constant price over several years, and eliminates
the need for members to calculate postage on each order.
The revenue is used for: Awards and programs for the members
and the profession; National Office expenses (salaries, rent, postage,
telephone, supplies, advertising, professional fees, etc.); meetings of
the Executive Council and the Executive Committee, the biennial Business
Meeting, meetings of ad hoc awards committees, Chapter Advisor breakfasts
at regional political science meetings, publishing Pi Sigma Alpha Newsletter
and other publications on occasion. The Council may decide to fund other
special projects of value to the profession and teaching of political
science such as the Oral History Project at the University of Kentucky,
which PSA supported for a number of years.
Executive Council: Pi
Sigma Alpha is governed by an Executive Council consisting of the current
officers (President, President-Elect, Executive Director, and Newsletter
Editor), the three most recent past presidents, and twelve members elected
by the membership, six to be elected every two years for four-year terms.
The Council meets annually at the American Political Science Association
Convention to take actions to guide the affairs of the society.
Executive Committee: The Executive Committee of the Council consists of
the President, President-Elect, past president, Executive Director, Newsletter
Editor, and two members of the Council appointed by the President. The Committee
meets as necessary and has authority over the affairs of the society
between Council meetings.
Business Meeting: In even-numbered years a Business Meeting
is held at which the membership, as represented by the chapter advisors
or their delegates, elects new officers and Council members. This Business
Meeting is held at the APSA Convention, and chapter advisors are notified
of the details well in advance. The Business Meeting gives chapter advisors
an opportunity to meet the national officers and staff, to share their
experiences and views with each other, and to raise and discuss issues
related to the honor society.
Pi Sigma Alpha National
Office
1527 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 483-2512
Fax: (202) 483-2657
E-mail: pisigmaa@erols.com
Although the honor society and the APSA maintain a close working relationship,
the two organizations are separate. The National Office is staffed half-time
and is open Monday through Thursday from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., and
has voice mail and e-mail for communications during off hours. All messages
are answered as soon as possible; it's a good idea when leaving a voice
mail message to explain the question or problem in the recorded message
so that the administrator can be prepared to respond when she returns
the call and can even leave the answer to the question on the caller's
voice mail if they fail to connect in person.
The functions of the National Office fall under the three
headings of coordination, communication, and archiving. Under the first
heading, coordination, the staff, as directed by the President of Pi Sigma
Alpha, organizes meetings of the Council and Executive Committee and
the biennial business meeting of the society. It manages the annual Chapter
Grants competition and other awards programs and assembles the selection
committees for these awards. It works with the APSA and the regional
political science associations to provide Pi Sigma Alpha lecturers and
best paper prizes for their annual meetings, and to find ways for the
honor society to cooperate with the professional associations to achieve
common goals. It keeps Pi Sigma Alpha in good standing with the Association
of College Honor Societies, complying with whatever reporting is required
by ACHS. It oversees the establishment of new chapters of the honor
society, shepherding petitioning schools through the installation process.
At the direction of the officers of the society or on its own initiative
it carries out policies and projects designed to increase the relevance
of Pi Sigma Alpha to the student members and to the political science
profession. It works to reactivate lapsed chapters and to help struggling
chapters revitalize, and makes sure all chapters' requests for initiation
certificates and other materials are answered promptly.
The National Office keeps the honor society's
accounts, pays its bills, and negotiates with vendors. The Executive Director
is also responsible for the budget of the organization, and for seeing
that the year-end financial report is prepared by a certified public
accountant.
The second area of responsibility,
communication, includes overseeing and working closely with the Editor
of the Pi Sigma Alpha Newsletter, making direct mailings to chapter advisors
whenever there are important announcements to be made, and answering
individual chapter questions as they come up. Until recently the National
Office published a semiannual Information Letter to share administrative
information with the chapters; what used to be communicated in the Information
Letter has now been wrapped into the Pi Sigma Alpha Newsletter and separate
mailings to all the advisors, such as updates to the Chapter Handbook,
will be made only as necessary. The National Office answers all inquiries
about PSA, creates and distributes all forms and promotional materials,
and generally serves as the communications link between the Executive Council
and the chapters and among the chapters.
The third function, archiving, includes keeping the honor society's financial
records and membership records for all the chapters, maintaining chapter
mailing lists, minutes of Pi Sigma Alpha Council and Executive Committee
meetings, and records of all the activities sponsored or organized by
the National Office.
The Articles of Incorporation
of PSA state as one of its
purposes "to stimulate scholarship and intelligent interest in political
science." The society functions at the national level, sponsoring programs
and events of value to the profession and teaching of political science,
and at the chapter level. Each chapter is encouraged to provide a framework
for enriching the exposure of its members and the wider university community
to the study of government and issues of public concern. The goals of
PSA are consistent with the
aims of the Association of College Honor Societies as set out in the ACHS Booklet of Information.
