WPSA Policies for Awards, Gifts, and Endowments

Approved by Council April 17, 2014. Revised: September 3, 2015; March 24, 2016; and April 13, 2017.

I. CREATING AND NAMING WPSA AWARDS

A. Creation of New WPSA Awards

The WPSA Executive Council will assess future award proposals based on the following criteria:

1. The eligibility for the award must encompass a broad enough segment of interest to insure a significant number of competitors for the award and candidates for the award committee.

2. The award must be consistent with the bylaws, policies, and values of the WPSA.

3. The proposed award must be supported with sufficient initial funding to ensure that it can eventually be conferred without drawing from the Association's Operating Fund. The Council may use the Association's Operating Fund to help support the initial creation of a new award (see Section I.B. below). However, the Council expects that within a few years the new award will be paid for entirely through a donor fund or an endowment.

4. If a proposed award does not include a direct monetary prize, it is not required to meet the funding requirements stipulated in the Awards, Gifts, and Endowment policies (Section I: Creating and Naming WPSA Awards). However, the members proposing non-monetary awards must provide alternative evidence that there is meaningful support for the award across the association for it to be considered by the Council. A petition signed by 7 percent of the Members of the Association whose memberships are in good standing shall constitute sufficient evidence of membership support. Even if a petition is submitted that surpasses this signature threshold, the Council retains the right to reject proposed new awards.

5. A proposal to establish a new award must include the following information for the proposal to be considered by the Executive Council:

• A statement of the award name, purpose of award, and criteria.
• The names and contact information for the award proposers.
• A description of the process for obtaining nominations.
• A description of the selection process including criteria for selection.
• A statement concerning the frequency of the award.
• A statement describing how the chair and members of the selection committee will be chosen. WPSA policy generally gives the WPSA President the power to appoint all the members of WPSA committees. To provide guidance to the President in making appointments, the proposal must include a process for nominating a sufficient number of committee members to fill all the committee positions each year. If the selection process provides for someone other than the WPSA President to appoint these individuals, the proposal should include a justification for the different method.
• A statement describing the form of the award (i.e., certificate, plaque, honorarium, monetary prize, etc.).
• If the award incurs any cost on the association, the proposal should include a plan for how these costs will be funded. If the proposal includes a cash prize, the plan must include details for creating a viable endowment to fund the award.
• If the award includes a non-monetary prize, whether in addition to or instead of a monetary prize, the proposal must include a justification for this prize. If the award does not include a monetary prize, then it must include the petition specified in Section I.A.4.
• If the award includes a certificate, plaque, or any other similar acknowledgement, or in any other way requires action in administering the award, the proposal shall include a statement indicating the person(s) who will be responsible for that action.

B. Funding of Awards

1. The Association will continue to underwrite the cost for the six awards it is currently funding: Dissertation Award, Betty Nesvold Women and Politics Award, WPSA Best Paper Award on Latina/Latino Politics, Award by Committee on the Status of Blacks, Environment Political Theory Award, and the WPSA Best Paper Award on Asian Pacific Americans and Politics (the Pi Sigma Alpha Award, the Political Research Quarterly Best Article Award, and the Charles Redd Center Award for the best paper on the politics of the American West are not funded by the WPSA). However, the Association will begin taking contributions for these awards in order for them to eventually become funded without drawing on the Association's Operating Fund.

2. A new award will not begin to be awarded until its endowment is at least 25 times the size of the proposed prize. The Association's current minimum for an annual award amount is $250. For an award to be conferred at that amount, it means that the endowment must reach $6,250.

3. The Executive Council will match the first $2,500 contributed to an endowed account created to fund a new award. The Council retains the right to provide addition support as it deems appropriate, though such support must be done in a consistent and fair manner.

4. The annual draw from a donor fund or endowment shall be up to 4% of the fund's total market value. However, the principal of a donor fund or endowment shall not be invaded unless the original instructions for the fund or endowment, as approved by the Executive Council, expressly provide for invasion.

5. If the annual distribution from an Award Fund would result in an invasion of the principal, the distribution shall be reduced so as not to use principal. As a result, the proposed size of the reward may be reduced. However, the Executive Council may draw from its Operating Fund to cover the additional costs needed to fully fund the award.

6. Every five years, the Investment Policy Committee shall review the amounts being conferred for each endowed award to ensure that the award prizes do not exceed the amount needed to maintain the general health of the fund.

C. Naming of Awards

1. Association awards may be named after individuals, specific fields or sub-fields within the discipline, or in other manners that the Executive Council deems appropriate.

2. The naming of awards after individuals is meant to honor those who have made an important contribution to the discipline and who have had strong ties with the Western Political Science Association. These ties may include long-time participation and/or exemplary service in the Association. Individuals can also be honored who in some other way has served to inspire Association members. The names of living individuals may be attached to an award.

3. If an individual's name is proposed for an existing award, then the Executive Council will try to treat these proposals in a manner comparable to that used in the creation of new awards as laid out in sections I.A. and I.B. In other words, the Council expects the following guidelines to apply:

a. These awards should eventually be funded entirely through a donor fund or an endowment;

b. In general, the new award name should not begin to be used until its endowment is at least 25 times the size of the proposed prize;

c. The Executive Council will match the first $2500 contributed to an endowed account created in conjunction with the renaming of an ongoing award;

d. The annual draw from a donor fund or endowment shall be up to 4% of the fund's total market value.

e. If the annual distribution from an Award Fund would result in an invasion of the original contributed principal, the distribution shall be reduced so as not to use principal. As a result, the proposed size of the reward may be reduced. However, the Executive Council may draw from its Operating Fund to cover the additional costs needed to fully fund the award.

D. Revising and Discontinuing Awards

1) The Executive Council retains the right to revise the criteria used in the selection of award winners and to discontinue granting an annual award, with the exception of endowed awards in which there are explicit restrictions limiting the Council's actions.

2) From time to time, the Executive Council may approve the creation of a five-member Ad Hoc Awards Review Committee to review the status of WPSA Awards to ensure that the awards encompass a broad enough segment of interest to insure a significant number of competitors for each award and candidates for the award committee. If the Executive Council approves such a review committee, the WPSA President will be responsible for appointing the committee members and the committee chair. In determining whether a change in the criteria of an award is warranted, or whether an award should be discontinued entirely, the Committee shall consider trends in the research interests within the Association and changes in participation within Sections. As part of this review, the Committee should review the number of panels and papers presented at the Annual Meeting in the Award area, and confer with recent Award Committee Chairs. At the conclusion of its review, the Ad Hoc Awards Review Committee shall forward a recommendation to the Executive Council for its consideration.

3) If the Ad Hoc Awards Review Committee makes a recommendation to discontinue an award, supporters of the award may submit a petition to the Executive Council to provide evidence that there is meaningful support for retaining the award. A petition signed by 7 percent of the Members of the Association whose memberships are in good standing shall constitute sufficient evidence of membership support. Even if a petition is submitted that surpasses this signature threshold, the Council retains the right to discontinue an award.

II. WPSA GIFT POLICY

The Western Political Science Association welcomes gifts that further the organization's ability to pursue its mission to promote the study and teaching of government and politics, to foster research and to facilitate the discussion of public affairs. Within these parameters, the WPSA Executive Council reserves the right to reject any donation that is not consistent with its mission and values; the source of which could be viewed as not in the best interest of the organization; or which the organization is not adequately equipped to manage or dispose of. To that end, the Council has created the following guidelines, which may be changed from time to time.

IV. ACCOUNTING, RECORDKEEPING, AND REPORTING

D. Reporting

1. Endowments. The Treasurer, in consultation with the Associate Director, will include a status report on the Association's investments and Endowments as part of the Treasurer's regular report on WPSA finances, which is presented to the WPSA Executive Council.

2. Gifts. The Treasurer, in consultation with the Associate Director, will prepare a report on donations to be presented annually at the WPSA Executive Council meeting.