WPSA's Timeline

1947 WPSA created at meeting at the University of Utah
1947 G. Homer Durham elected first president
1948 Annual meeting held in Denver, Colorado
1948 First edition of Western Political Quarterly published
1949 Annual conference held in Albuquerque, New Mexico
1951 First time annual conference is held in a coastal state, meeting in Berkeley, California
1953 Association approves rotation of annual conference between Pacific Coast and Rocky Mountain states
1955 Association leaders consider moving the 1956 conference away from Logan, Utah, after state legislature passes bill banning smoking in public buildings
1956 The WPSA annual meeting celebrates its tenth year with a theme of “Politics and Political Science in Western States”
1964 Annual meeting includes performance of Mormon Tabernacle Choir
1965 First WPSA conference held outside the United States, meeting in Victoria, BC
1965 Constitution revised, adding Alaska and Hawaii to the western region
1969 Association holds first and only annual meeting in Hawaii
1970 WPSA Committee on Status of Women in the Profession created
1970 WPSA Women’s Caucus is launched
1970 California Governor Ronald Reagan gives talk at annual meeting
1971 WPSA and University of Utah reach first formal agreement on WPQ
1971 Committee on the Status of the Chicano in the Profession created
1975 Betty Nesvold elected first female president of association
1975 Committee on the Status of Blacks in the Profession created
1975 Executive Council approves award for Best Paper on Chicana/Chicano Politics
1976 Rotation of annual meetings among association’s three regions introduced
1976 WPSA honors the “founding members of the Association” at business meeting
1976 Executive Council approves award for Best Paper on Women and Politics
1977 Regional representative on Executive Council introduced
1977 Betty Nesvold reappointed president to fill vacancy
1977 F. Chris Garcia elected first Latino/a president of association
1977 Executive Council approves award for Best Paper on issues and problems concerning Black Americans
1980 First WPQ editor from outside University of Utah
1982 Gender rotation of program chair introduced
1985 Betty Moulds becomes the WPSA's top administrator, serving as WPSA Secretary-Treasurer from 1985 to 1998
1992 Women and Politics Best Paper Award renamed to honor Betty Nesvold
1993 WPQ becomes Political Research Quarterly
1994 Redd Center Award on Best Paper on the Politics of the American West created
1995 WPSA becomes independent non-profit corporation
1995 Michael Preston elected first Black president of association
1998 Betty Moulds named first Executive Director
2000 Council adds Texas to western region
2001 WPSA website launched
2001 Timothy Kaufman-Osborn begins serving first of two terms as president
2002 First Environmental Political Theory workshop held
2003 Use of paper room for distributing papers is discontinued
2003 Name of Chicana/o Status Committee and best paper award changed to Latino/a
2009 Annual Conference held in Vancouver, BC, first time outside the US
2009 Richard Clucas becomes Executive Director
2010 Best Paper in Environment Political Theory established
2010 The Women’s Caucus is renamed the Caucus for Women and Gender Justice
2012 Committee on the Status of Asian Pacific Americans in the Profession created
2012 Methods Café introduced
2013 First edition of Politics, Groups, and Identities published
2013 Executive Council establishes the Betty Moulds Lifetime Service Award, honoring the association's long-serving executive director
2013 Best Paper on Asian Pacific Americans Politics launched
2016 Clay Morgan Award for Best Book in Environmental Political Theory created
2017 Don T. Nakanishi Award for Distinguished Scholarship and Service in Asian Pacific American Politics established
2017 The number of political theory panels reaches a high of 111
2018 Jane Junn elected first APA president of association
2019 First Community College Mini-Conference held
2019 San Diego meeting sets record attendance with 1315 participants
2019 Committee on the Status of First-Generation Scholars created
2020 Committee on Community College Faculty created
2020 WPSA launches Virtual Communities
2020 William E. Connolly Award for Best Paper in Political Theory established
2020 WPSA Climate Action Committee created
2021 WPSA holds annual conference online amid covid-19 pandemic
2022 WPSA celebrates 75th anniversary in Portland, Oregon
2022 Executive Council establishes the Elsa Favila Travel Award, honoring the WPSA's long-serving associate director
2023 WPSA Queer Status Committee created