Pi Sigma Alpha, The National Political Science Honor Society

It's election season and we are excited to feature how our members and chapters are engaging their campuses and communities. "My name is Madigan Hoffman. I'm a senior double majoring in political science and sociology with a minor in gender and women's studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This summer, I began an internship with the Illinois Democratic County Chairs' Association which allowed me to attend the Democratic National Convention! Through this internship, I met our state officials- including but not limited to Governor Pritzker, Speaker of the House Welch, and Senator Durbin- as well as many Illinois delegates. I was able to attend the DNC on Tuesday and Thursday, so my week culminated in hearing Kamala Harris accept her nomination to be the Democratic nominee for President of the United States of America!" Please note that Pi Sigma Alpha does not endorse candidates or parties for elected office, but seeks to highlight career paths in politics and civic engagement.

We are delighted to congratulate Dr. Jennifer Victor of the Schar School of Government at George Mason University on being awarded the 2024 Undergraduate Mentoring Award!

It's election season and we are excited to feature how our members and chapters are engaging their campuses and communities! Ken Bartling from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln is working as a full-time role as the Election Resource Coordinator for the Lancaster County NE Election Commission. Of his role, he says "I've had the recent opportunity of training students and staff on how to register voters (certifying them as deputy registrars) and continue in my role's regular duties, where I select and manage over 150 polling places for 198 precincts within Lancaster County, for both rural and urban populations alike...Getting the chance to serve my community, engage in the nonpartisan work of election administration, and finish out my degree at the University of Nebraska has been an awesome experience."

We are accepting abstract submissions for the 2025 National Student Research Conference now through November 30! Details and the submission form can be found here: https://lnkd.in/eZytZK8B Hope to see you there!

Is your chapter planning an engaging activity on campus this year, like a politics trivia night, special speaker, or debate? Apply for a chapter activity grant! Learn more and apply here: https://lnkd.in/e-aRjgqk

It's election season and we are excited to feature how our chapters are engaging their campuses and communities! Alpha Mu Kappa chapter at Wofford College, in partnership with League of Women Voters of Spartanburg County, held a voter registration event earlier this month!

The Western Political Science Association invites Pi Sigma Alpha members to submit research done under the supervision of a faculty member for the Undergraduate Poster Session at the WPSA Annual Meeting April 17-19, 2025 in Seattle, WA. Any topic in the political science discipline is welcome. Learn more and submit your proposal here: https://lnkd.in/ePa-N3dZ

This new award, cosponsored by NCAPSA and Pi Sigma Alpha, recognizes outstanding faculty members who have made a meaningful contribution to their students, their institution, or their profession through their work to mentor undergraduate students. Nominees for the award must be faculty members from the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, or West Virginia. Self-nominations are allowed. To nominate someone for the award, please email ncapsa@apsanet.org. Nominations are due on September 29, 2024.

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Terri Towner of Oakland University was elected as the new President of Pi Sigma Alpha for a 2 year term. She has served PSA as an advisor for the Nu Omega chapter at Oakland University, Faculty Editor in Chief of the Undergraduate Journal of Politics, Executive Council member, and President-Elect. We are excited to welcome her leadership and expertise while the organization continues to grow and evolve. Read more about Dr. Towner here: https://lnkd.in/eusgUaJ2

Today is both Constitution Day and National Voter Registration Day in the U.S.! - Constitution Day honors the document that guarantees Americans their essential rights. Since its ratification in 1787, the Constitution of the United States has served as the basis for all U.S. laws. - National Voter Registration Day "seeks to create broad awareness of voter registration opportunities during a single 24 hour democracy blitz to reach tens of thousands of voters who may not register otherwise" (https://lnkd.in/dg-v9bF). According to U.S. Census data from 2020, as many as 1 in 4 eligible Americans are not registered to vote. Every year, millions of Americans find themselves unable to vote because they miss a registration deadline, don't update their registration, or aren't sure how to register.