image: Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA) has earned a 2015 ASAE "Power of A" Silver Award for its efforts to provide access to research and teaching resources to political scientists from the developing world. view more
Credit: American Society of Association Executives
The Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA) has earned a 2015 "Power of A" Silver Award for its efforts to provide access to research and teaching resources to political scientists from the developing world.
The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) honored MPSA for formalizing a scholarship program for granting free registration to select conference presenters from the developing world, expanding the benefits available to all members, and offering complimentary 24-month digital memberships to political scientists from the developing world.
"Congratulations to MPSA for helping make the world a better place," said Hugh "Mac" Cannon, MPA, CAE, Executive Director of ACEC of Metropolitan Washington, and chair of the Power of A Awards Judging Committee. "Their story exemplifies how associations make a difference every day - not just to the industry or profession they represent, but to society at large."
Over the past decade MPSA has made intentional shifts to have a more internationally-inclusive focus: The organization has substantially increased the number of research sections on comparative politics and international relations at the conference, and the AJPS has slowly received (and published) more articles in these fields. The composition of the MPSA board has also shifted over this same period - moving from regional to national and it now includes researchers from many countries. With a mission to advance research and teaching in political science, the association has found that scholars, students and teachers in the developing world lack the funding to join the MPSA. These scholars often experience additional challenges because non-democratic countries usually suppress the study of politics and policy.
"Now we can better assist and learn from members of the discipline throughout the world," said MPSA's Executive Director William Morgan. "With a focus on the 139 countries classified by the World Bank as having developing economies, this program has the potential to have a huge reach, and we have been encouraged by the results."
ASAE's Power of A (association) Awards, the industry's highest honor, recognize the association community's valuable contributions on the local, national and global level. The Power of A Awards reward outstanding accomplishments of associations and industry professionals for their efforts to enrich lives, create a competitive workforce, prepare society for the future, drive innovation and make a better world.
A limited number of complimentary two-year electronic memberships are still available to political science scholars in 139 developing countries (as defined by the World Bank for the 2015 fiscal year). Scholars from the developed world who are temporarily located in one of the developing countries (e.g. Fulbright Scholars) are not eligible, nor are scholars originally from the developing world who currently are faculty or graduate students in the developed world. Learn more about the program and access the application at http://mpsanet.org/DevelopingWorld.
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For additional information, please contact Melissa Heeke, Director of Membership and Communications, Midwest Political Science Association at (812) 558-0588 x 3 or heeke@mpsanet.org.
The Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA) is an international organization with a membership of approximately 6,100 political science faculty, researchers and graduate students representing more than 90 countries. Founded in 1939, the MPSA is dedicated to the advancement of scholarship in all areas of political science. MPSA publishes the American Journal of Political Science, one of the top research journals in the discipline.