The Academy of Political Science (APS), founded in 1880, promotes objective, scholarly analyses of political, social, and economic issues. Through its conferences and publications APS provides analysis and insight into both domestic and foreign policy issues.

Due to its well established effort to provide analysis on domestic and foreign affairs, the Academy enjoys a special prestige among the many institutions, committees and think tanks devoted to the exploration and exposition of public policy. More important than mere longevity are the depth and breadth of intellectual competence that the Academy's members bring to their chosen fields. Furthermore, there is the assurance that all publications of the Academy are not shaped by ideological or partisan considerations.

Mission and Activities

History

Funding

Board of Directors

Honorary Directors

The Academy's mission entails the continuation and broadening of the educational process. Its threefold aim is to:

• contribute to the scholarly examination of political institutions, programs and public policies;
• enrich political discourse and channel social science research in understandable ways to political leaders;
• educate members of the general public and help them to become more informed participants in the democratic process.

The Academy's primary activities include:

• publication of the Political Science Quarterly (PSQ), the most widely read and accessible scholarly journal covering government, politics and policy, both international and domestic;
• publication of books on timely and relevant subjects, including topical collections of recent articles from PSQ;
• sponsorship of conferences that provide a forum for discussion between experts from the governmental, academic and non-profit communities.

The Academy's effort to provide an open and informed forum on today's most pressing political and policy issues are contingent on the support of its members.

The Academy was established in 1880 as an adjunct to the activities of Columbia University's Law School and newly created Graduate School of Political Science. Senior members of its faculty and graduate scholars saw the need for a companion institution to serve as a link between the academic world of political science and the larger world of practical politics and government.

Although membership was initially limited to affiliates of Columbia, the Academy's relationship with the University has always been informal, limited to an agreement by Columbia's trustees to allow use of some of its buildings for Academy meetings and functions.

In 1896 membership was extended to other political scientists and to students of politics in universities and colleges throughout the country. In 1910 the Academy was formally incorporated as a non-profit institution in New York State. A constitution and by-laws were adopted and, in keeping with its growing influence and the developing interest of the general public, the Academy opened membership privileges to all who shared its interests and would pay its nominal dues.

Through the years, the Academy has received grants from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Ford Foundation, the Florence and John Schumann Foundation, the Olin Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and the New York Times Company Foundation. Grants from these and other prestigious and established foundations serve as further validation of the objectivity and quality of the Academy's work.

A Board of Directors drawn broadly from the professional, business, and academic worlds provides policy oversight for the Academy.

In addition, status as Honorary Member has been bestowed upon and accepted by former presidents -- Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush -- as well as by former Supreme Court justices and other distinguished public figures.