Political science professor to serve as president of Western Political Science Association
Andrea Simpson, associate professor of political science, was named the president of the Western Political Science Association at the association’s 2008 conference in San Diego, California. Simpson is the first black woman to serve as president in the WPSA’s 60-year history.
Simpson has been involved with the association since 1993 when she began her career at the University of Washington and presented her first paper at the WPSA’s annual conference. Since then, Simpson has served on the executive council, been a section chair, and last year, was elected to serve as the 2008 program chair. The program chair is responsible for planning the association’s annual conference, which political scientists have dubbed the Western. The following year, the program chair traditionally assumes the WPSA’s presidency.
Simpson’s 2008 conference, which was held this past March at San Diego’s Manchester Hyatt Regency, invited panelists and presenters to address “Citizenship, Community and Conflict” and was the largest in the organization’s history, with 216 panels and well over 1,000 participants. Simpson took a leave of absence from the University of Richmond to plan the international event.
“Planning the conference was one of the most rewarding professional experiences of my life,” said Simpson.
In comparison to how she has spent the last year, Simpson says her presidential responsibilities will be far less taxing. Her biggest leadership challenge, however, may in fact relate to the conference she has finally finished planning.
“One of the biggest challenges facing all associations, but particularly the WPSA, which has a significant lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered membership, is making sure we locate our meetings in places that do not deny civil rights to any particular group of people. Places that support ideals that are inhumane, undemocratic and unfair are not acceptable. Yet it’s hard to find a state in the United States without offensive legislation preventing same-sex marriage or civil unions either pending or already passed,” said Simpson.
Simpson, who grew up in Memphis, Tennessee during the sanitation workers strike and the aftermath that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., says she’s not sure economic boycotts are the answer.
“We’ve got to determine what is acceptable. What makes the biggest statement? Does not going to a particular state make a better statement than going and challenging conventional wisdom by engaging the community in dialogue, wherever we are?” she said.
According to Simpson, there is a culture of cooperation and collegiality at the WPSA that one doesn’t find in all academic organizations. If that’s the case, Simpson will certainly make headway as president.