Saint Michael's College

Pi Sigma Alpha: The National Political Science Honor Society

Pi Sigma Alpha was founded in 1920 at the University of Texas for the purpose of supporting faculty and student interest in the study of politics and government.  Pi Sigma Alpha is the only recognized honor society in the discipline of political science and is one of the largest constituent members of the Association of College Honor Societies.  Currently there are over 680 chapters on college and university campuses in every state of the United States and in Guam, with over 6,000 students joining its ranks each year. 

Pi Sigma Alpha seeks to promote excellence in the study of political science through a variety of programs.  These programs provide awards, scholarships, and lecture funding, and other benefits for members, chapters, and political scientists and political science programs. The Honor Society also publishes the Pi Sigma Alpha Undergraduate Journal of Politics, which invites submissions from any class or major.
(From: http://www.apsanet.org/~psa/)

The Saint Michael’s chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha is Psi Rho, which was established on campus in 2000.  Since that time well over a hundred students have been inducted.  The criteria for admission into Psi Rho include: a 3.4 cumulative GPA, a major in Political Science, and a rising junior or senior status. 

Over the past several years Psi Rho has organized campus viewings of the U.S. presidential debates; co-sponsored the annual Political Science Department open house; organized a workshop on fair trade conducted by the Peace and Justice Center in Burlington, VT; co-sponsored activities in support of World AIDS Day; and held the annual April induction ceremony, dinner and election of new student officers.  Invited speakers at recent dinners have included Rural Vermont Founder and Vermont Progressive candidate for governor, Anthony Pollina, and Vermont author and investigative journalist David Goodman. 

During the 2008-09 academic year, the student officers of Psi Rho were President Greg Ander and Vice President Kate Mooney.  Kate and Greg collaborated throughout the year with the Psi Rho faculty advisor, Professor Jeffrey Ayres, to secure a chapter activity grant from the national office, which assisted with planning various campus activities, including the induction ceremony and dinner, where 13 new members were inducted into Psi Rho in April 2009.

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