APS History

For over a century the Academy of Political Science has performed the unique function of bringing the best scholarly research to bear on the nation’s political, social, and economic problems.

The Academy of Political Science was founded in 1880 as an adjunct to the activities of Columbia University’s newly created Graduate School of Political Science, the first such graduate school in the nation. Membership was initially limited to alumni and other affiliates of Columbia University. Formally incorporated as a non-profit institution in the state of New York in 1910, the Academy became organizationally and financially independent from Columbia University and extended membership to all who shared an interest in scholarly and impartial investigations.

Columbia University Professor John W. Burgess, the Academy’s first president, with the active involvement of New York publisher George A. Plimpton launched Political Science Quarterly in 1886. Published continuously since that year by the Academy, PSQ has been the most widely read and accessible scholarly journal on government, politics, and public policy.

The Academy’s history of public service includes meetings and conferences where its members can attend presentations by scholars on single issues and participate in their discussions. These conferences have also drawn upon public officials involved in the particular subject matter.