The WPSA 75th Anniversary Project
Help Support Others at the WPSA

The Western Political Science Association has long prided itself in providing an inclusive home for political scientists, 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 association receives requests for financial assistants from participants, which we have been unable to provide. As a consequence, some individuals who would like to participate in the annual meeting have been unable to afford it.

As part of the WPSA’s 75th Anniversary, 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.

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