Political Science Welcomes New Pi Sigma Alpha Members

The political science department recently welcomed new members into the NC State University chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society.

The induction ceremony is a celebratory event, held twice a year. In 2020, the spring ceremony was postponed and took place in the fall. On November 13, 2020, forty-one new members from the spring and fall classes were inducted into NC State’s Zeta Epsilon chapter during a heartfelt ceremony via Zoom.

The ceremony also celebrated the one hundredth anniversary of Pi Sigma Alpha. Sean Twombly, the Executive Director of Pi Sigma Alpha joined us from Washington, DC, to mark the occasion.

Professor Irwin Morris, William T. Kretzer Distinguished Professor of Humanities and Executive Director of the School of Public and International Affairs spoke about Pi Sigma Alpha’s history and noted the organization’s significance to new members.

“The study of politics and government is one of the noblest of academic pursuits because a deep and true understanding of the principles by which we govern ourselves contributes directly to the quality of our lives and the well-being of future generations. Today, Pi Sigma Alpha hosts chapters on nearly 850 campuses and has inducted more than 300,000 members. Its roles feature national, state, and local political leaders including one president, three Supreme Court justices, and dozens of members of Congress. The network of Pi Sigma Alpha members stretches across law, academia, business and more.”

Chair of the Department of Political Science, Professor Michael Struett, administered the inductees pledge to academic excellence. Professors Steven Greene, Jeffrey Diebold and Mark Nance all offered congratulatory remarks, and the Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Jeff Braden, reminded inductees that their commitment to academic excellence was especially significant since it was achieved during such challenging times. Dean Braden praised the students’ scholarly fortitude and their commitment to the think and do spirit.

Congratulations to the following new members of Pi Sigma Alpha:

Spring 2020
Jon Barley
Sara Darwish
Kassidy Demaio
Savannah Hill
Noah Lenhardt
Natalie Leon
John Maloney
Jacqueline (Skye) McCollum
Jack Mitchell
Alexandra Ruvolis
Elizabeth Saksa
Lauren Siegel
Caroline Wilson
Fall 2020
Estacia Aanes
Noor Abualhawa
Sarah Ansbrow
Julia Arapoff
Kristina Beek
Kristina Bell
Jorim Cole
Bradley Downs
Robert Geis
Akram Hauter
Felix Jarvis-Earle
Dmitri McKinney
Avery Miller
Nada Moghazi
Angela Morando
Roshni Panwala
Kajal Patel
Samuel Peach
Parissa Sharifyazdi
Noor Shehata
Thomason Stockton
Grace Thompson
William Trent
Cameron Tulloss
Allison Wade
Andrew White
Lucas Wier
Walker Winslow

The Spring 2021 Pi Sigma Alpha induction ceremony will be held on April 16, 2021. Invitations have been sent to the spring class. If you think you meet the eligibility requirements, but did not receive an invitation, please email ps_advising@ncsu.edu. Criteria include: 60 completed credits towards a degree, 12 hours of completed political science coursework with a B or better, at least one upper-division political science class, and a class rank in the top one-third of your academic class.