Western Political Science Association (WPSA)

• Published date: 01 December 2024
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/10659129241288691
• Date: 01 December 2024

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Political Research Quarterly

2024, Vol. 77(4) 1454

© The Author(s) 2024

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DOI: 10.1177/10659129241288691

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Western Political Science Association

(WPSA)

Not Too Late to Participate in the

2025 Meeting in Seattle

The 2025 meeting of the Western Political Science As-

sociation will be held at the Hyatt Regency in downtown

Seattle, Washington, from April 17 to 19, with pre-

conference workshops on April 16. Tony Aff‌igne,

Providence College, is serving as program chair for this

meeting. Located in the heart of Seattle a few blocks from

Pike Place Market, the Hyatt Regency is a lovely hotel

with well-organized conference space. This is the f‌irst

time we have been in Seattle since 2014 and we are

expecting especially strong turnout.

The deadline for submission of paper proposal forms

was in September. However, there are still ways to par-

ticipate actively in the annual meeting. Any committees,

caucuses, subject-matter sections, or other groups wishing

to schedule sessions or workshops during the WPSA

meetings and who have not already done so should

contact Julio Castilleja, the WPSA Conference and

Membership Coordinator, at info@wpsanet.org.

In addition, if you are part of a research community that

is interested in holding a meeting or a group of related-

panels in the spring, we can still accommodate your

research community by coordinating a mini-conference

within our conference. The association does not charge for

providing the space and support for these mini-

conferences, though the attendees are required to regis-

ter for the WPSA meeting. There is also the opportunity to

host receptions, business meetings, and special events at

the annual conference. Just contact Julio for details.

Information about the conference, its theme, the

Wednesday workshops, the conference hotel, and more is

available onthe WPSA website:https://www.wpsanet.

org/. It is possible to pre-register and pay by credit

card directly through this link: https://www.wpsanet.org/

forms/reg_form.php. As for travel, conference attendees

can receive discounted travel with Alaska Airlines. The

association is also experimenting with a program to

partially reimburse 2025 participants who use more en-

vironmentally friendly means to travel to the conference.

Find out the details about these programs on our website

as well.

Support the WPSA Favila Travel

Award Program

The Western Political Science Association has long prided

itself in providing an inclusive home for political scien-

tists, one that is open to a broad range of cutting-edge

research and scholars from diverse backgrounds. Many

political scientists feel a special bond with the WPSA

because of its openness to others and to different

perspectives.

Yet there is one area in which the WPSA has been poor

in promoting inclusiveness. Unlike many other political

science associations, the WPSA has not had a fund to help

underwrite the cost for graduate students and less well-off

faculty to attend the annual meeting. Every year, the as-

sociation receives requests for f‌inancial assistants from

participants, which we have been unable to provide. As a

consequence, some individuals who would like to partic-

ipate in the annual meeting have been unable to afford it.

As part of the WPSA’s 75th Anniversary in 2022, the

association launched a fund-raising campaign to create a

travel endowment to provide support to help graduate

students and faculty so they can attend the annual meeting.

The association is continuing to raise money for the fund

in order to serve more members in need. In 2023, the

association changed the name of the fund to the Elsa

Favila Travel Fund to honor Elsa for her 38 years of

service to the association, including working for many

years as associate director.

Please consider contributing to the Favila Travel Fund.

It will provide much-needed support to others so they can

join us at the annual meeting, make us more inclusive, and

honor a woman who was central to the organization’s

success for years. The WPSA is a 501(c)3 not-for-prof‌it

organization; as such, your contributions are fully tax-

deductible, as permitted by law. Donations can be made

at: https://www.wpsanet.org/forms/donation.php.