The School of Public Affairs’ PhD Student Association (SPAPSA) mission is to establish a community of students who support each other through the sharing of experience and knowledge across PhD cohorts. SPAPSA has three main functions: academic enrichment, social and interpersonal engagement, and new student orientation and mentorship.
SPAPSA supports the academic development of students through information and resource exchange and through the organization of relevant academic and social activities. To encourage further cross-cohort interactions, SPAPSA assigns student peer mentors to incoming students each year. Additionally, a SPAPSA representative serves on the faculty PhD committee. The faculty committee and association members make a concerted effort to coordinate activities and share ideas about program needs.
SPAPSA is open to all SPA PhD students, who are strongly encouraged to participate in meetings and events. The elected SPAPSA leadership board is made up of two Co-Presidents, a Treasurer, and Secretary, and they typically hold at least one formal meeting per month.
For the 2023-2024 academic year, the leadership consists of: Hope Yohn & Nathan Jeschke (Co-Presidents), Tierney Bamrick (Secretary), and Mike Bell (Treasurer).