Pi Sigma Alpha – Political Science

Honors Societies

Pi Sigma Alpha - Political Science

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.

The Saint Michael’s chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha is Psi Rho, which was established on campus in 2000. Since that time well over three hundred students have been inducted into the campus chapter. The criteria for admission into Psi Rho includes: a 3.6 cumulative GPA, a major in International Relations or 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.

For more information, visit Pi Sigma Alpha national site or contact faculty advisor Professor Jeffrey Ayres, jayres@smcvt.edu.