Pi Alpha Alpha

Pi Alpha Alpha

What is Pi Alpha Alpha?

Pi Alpha Alpha is a national honor society that recognizes outstanding scholarship and accomplishment in the field of public affairs and administration. Those universities and colleges which are members of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) are eligible to establish a Pi Alpha Alpha chapter. Pi Alpha Alpha is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies, a national organization dedicated to encouraging fraternal and specialized honor societies in establishing and maintaining high standards, scholarship and achievement of their members.

The purpose of Pi Alpha Alpha is to encourage and recognize outstanding scholarship and accomplishment in public affairs and administration, and to foster integrity, professionalism and effective performance in the conduct of government and related public service activities.

Pi Alpha Alpha's membership identifies those with the highest performance levels in educational programs and prepares them for public service careers. Established in 1974, the society has grown significantly. Currently there are 99 chapters and over 15,000 members nationwide.

Who is eligible for membership?

Students, alumni and faculty of the Master of Public Policy Administration (MPPA) and Bachelor of Science in Public Administration (BSPA) Programs at UM-St. Louis are eligible to join Pi Alpha Alpha.

MPPA students who have completed 50 percent of the required coursework (a minimum of 18 semester hours) and have attained a GPA of at least 3.7 are eligible for induction into the UM-St. Louis Chapter of Pi Alpha Alpha.

Eligible BSPA students are those who have completed at least 75 credit hours, 15 semester hours of required coursework for the BSPA major, and attained a 3.5 GPA in all courses included in the BSPA major and at least a 3.0 in all other coursework.

MPPA and BSPA alumni who meet the GPA requirements are eligible for membership.

All MPPA and BSPA faculty members are invited and encouraged to join Pi Alpha Alpha.

What are Pi Alpha Alpha activities?

Each year at UM-St. Louis an induction ceremony is held for new Pi Alpha Alpha inductees. The most recent induction ceremony took place during the MPPA Program's annual reception, which took place on Friday, October 3, at the UM-St. Louis Alumni Center. Four MPPA students were inducted for 2003: Kendra Brown, Nicole Kreisel, Natasha Radovich, and Lawrence Welty. The reception offered an opportunity to get acquainted with fellow students, alumni and faculty.

The UM-St. Louis Chapter of Pi Alpha Alpha is student driven, which means that the groups' activities could perhaps include, for example, an orientation for incoming MPPA and BSPA students, tutoring services, and/or seminars, leadership conferences or lecture series.

Nationally, Pi Alpha Alpha sponsors the Pi Alpha Alpha Student Manuscript Award in Public Administration, an annual competition open to students attending a NASPAA member institution in public affairs and administration. Each year, at NASPAA's Annual Conference, two students are recognized and presented the award--one for the best Master's-level paper and one for best doctoral-candidate paper. Student entries are judged on the basis of relevance of the topic, appropriate use of methodology, quality of presentation, originality, innovativeness, clarity and academic quality.

The two awards include a plaque and a check for $200.

Membership Dues

A one-time membership fee of $30 is required by NASPAA.

For further information on the UM-St. Louis Chapter of Pi Alpha Alpha, please contact:

Professor Nancy Kinney
Pi Alpha Alpha Faculty Advisor
Master of Public Policy Administration
University of Missouri-St. Louis
One University Boulevard, 406 Tower
St. Louis, MO 63121
ntkinney@umsl.edu
(314) 516-5420

Master of Public Policy Administration
University of Missouri - St. Louis
One University Boulevard , 406 Tower
St. Louis, MO 63121-4400
(314)516-5145
Fax: (314) 516-5210