In the spring of 2024, TLU organized its own chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, the national honor society for students of political science in US colleges and universities. That chapter, Alpha Mu Psi, inducted its first members in April of 2024, and included students of sociology and geography in addition to political science. The club operates in conjunction with the TLU CIVIC (Creating Involved Individuals and Communities) Club.
Now, less than two years later, Pi Sigma Alpha has named Alpha Mu Psi a recipient of a Best Chapter Award for 2024-2025.
“This recognition is the result of the vision and hard work of our students,” said Dr. William O’Brochta, Assistant Professor of Political Science and TLU Pi Sigma Alpha chapter advisor.
O’Brochta says it was the students who approached him with the idea of establishing a chapter of the honor society on campus while also creating a club that supports all students interested in political science, sociology, geography, and related career paths. The goal was to increase student community, to provide resources for vocation discernment and career development, and to recognize exceptional student work.
“In just two years, the CIVIC Club and Pi Sigma Alpha honor society have started a series of new community-building events, including opportunities to build community with faculty and students, and led our first interdisciplinary scholarship showcase with student research presentations,” said O’Brochta, who credits the students with the club’s success. “It is very challenging to start and to lead a new organization on campus. Our student leaders, president Allegra Negrete, vice-president Madison Wright, and past vice-president Ainsley Davis, have been instrumental in designing and subsequently creating an organization that supports political science and sociology students alongside students in the broader humanities and social sciences."
Best Chapter Awards recognize local chapters of Pi Sigma Alpha that are particularly active in their institutions and communities to embody the society’s mission and stimulate scholarship and intellectual interest in political science.
Out of over 830 Pi Sigma Alpha chapters across the nation, Alpha Mu Psi was recognized alongside five other chapters at universities similar in size to TLU. “We were impressed with the chapter’s achievements in developing activities supporting professional development for students, especially given the significant challenges faculty and students around the country continue to face,” said Dr. Tanya Schwarz, executive director of Pi Sigma Alpha. “Professor O’Brochta has shown extraordinary leadership and dedication to the students who are members of the TLU chapter.”
Qualifying for membership in Pi Sigma Alpha at TLU entails demonstrating academic excellence in political science, sociology, and geography courses while maintaining a high overall grade point average. Membership carries with it the benefits of belonging to a national organization, along with scholarship and professional development opportunities.
To learn more about the social science programs offered at TLU, click here: https://www.tlu.edu/programs/category/social-sciences