UTEP Professor Selected as President-Elect of the National Political Science Honor Society
Taeko Hiroi, Ph.D., a professor of political science and faculty advisor for the local chapter of Epsilon Epsilon at The University of Texas at El Paso, has been selected as the president-elect of Pi Sigma Alpha, The National Political Science Honor Society.
PSA is the only national political science honor society in the United States. Officially chartered in 1920, PSA now hosts nearly 850 chapters on college campuses in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico — including UTEP’s Epsilon Epsilon Chapter. It has inducted more than 300,000 members, with notable alumni including one president, three Supreme Court justices, and dozens of members of Congress.
Hiroi has a long-standing history with PSA. She started as the Epsilon Epsilon Chapter’s faculty advisor in 2008. Under her supervision, the chapter has won 11 best chapter awards. Hiroi has also served on the National PSA Executive Committee and the Executive Council and chaired the Personnel Committee since 2022.
“I was very honored to be nominated as the national president,” Hiroi said. “The National Executive Council recognized my service not only to our chapter at UTEP but also to the national organization. The Council and the Nominating Committee trusted that I would advance the missions and goals of PSA.”
Hiroi will serve as president-elect for two years (2024-26), president for two years (2026-28), and then past president for four years (2028-2032).
Hiroi said she has a strong desire to grow the honor society and hopes to drive its success and engagement by giving back to PSA students.
“One of our priorities in the upcoming years is to grow PSA membership by increasing the number of active chapters and establishing new chapters, especially at minority-serving institutions,” Hiroi said. “Our main role is to recognize and promote students who have very high academic achievement in the field of political science.”
Gaspare M. Genna, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration believes that having a UTEP faculty member in the national PSA leadership will bring high visibility to the university.
“PSA is one of the oldest and most prestigious honor societies as evidenced by the high-profile members amongst its ranks,” he said. “Having Dr. Hiroi’s and our university name associated with the organization will alert students of the high-quality education we provide, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels.”
Last Updated on September 25, 2024 at 12:00 AM | Originally published September 25, 2024
By MC Staff UTEP Marketing and Communications
