About the WPSA

Founded in 1948, the Western Political Science Association is an association of more than 1250 political scientists. The WPSA is headquartered at Portland State University. The purpose of the Association is to promote the study and teaching of government and politics, to foster research and to facilitate the discussion of public affairs. The official region of the WPSA includes both the western states of the United States and the western provinces of Canada: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan. WPSA members reside primarily in the western region, but approximately one-third of our members come from outside the region. The WPSA conducts an annual conference at sites which rotate throughout the region. Approximately 1,100 to 1,300 political scientists participate in these meetings which feature more than 250 panels and other special sessions on politics. The journals of the WPSA are Politics, Groups, and Identities owned and published by the WPSA and the Political Research Quarterly, owned and published by the University of Utah. The Western is the WPSA's biannual newsletter.

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WPSA Officers from Two Eras

Left: WPSA officers 1951-1952. Neal D. Houghton, WPSA President, University of Arizona; Totten J. Anderson, WPSA Vice President, University of Southern; California; Howard J. McMurray, WPSA Vice President, University of New Mexico; and an unidentified colleague.

Right: WPSA officers 2008-2009: Elizabeth F. Moulds, WPSA Executive Director, California State University, Sacramento; Andrea Simpson, WPSA President, University of Richmond; Elsa Favila, WPSA Associate Director, California State University, Sacramento; and Shaun Bowler, WPSA Vice President/Program Chair, University of California, Riverside