On the morning of March 10, 1967, the Springfield Union reported that University of Massachusetts Assistant Professor David Mayhew had received a Congressional Fellowship from the American Political Science Association (APSA). The Union stated that the Fellowship was designed to give “outstanding young political scientists [and] journalists … practical knowledge of the legislative process.” In the story, Mayhew provided the above quotation about the New Zealand-like quality of Congress. For over half a century, APSA's Congressional Fellowship Program (CFP) has made it possible for political scientists to “be there,” thus enhancing our collective ability to “be sure what it's like.”

Each September, Director Jeff Biggs flips through his vast mental Rolodex in search of speakers for the November orientation. Based on his list, he knits a tentative schedule and sends letters of invitation requesting that individuals participate on such-and-such a date. To our continual surprise and gratification, this tactic almost always works. When speakers must decline, our presumption is usually rewarded with generosity as speakers offer their expertise for another occasion. Thus, despite the logistical difficulty of bringing together over 80 experts, a coherent, informative, and often entertaining orientation emerges in time for each new class of Fellows. The 2004–2005 orientation was no exception.

The House and Senate both approved an omnibus appropriations bill on November 20, 2004 that will fund the federal government in fiscal year 2005. Congress consolidated the nine remaining spending bills into an enormous appropriations bill. This $388 billion catch-all bill sets overall agency spending limits and incorporates an across-the-board funding cut for almost all non-security related spending.

The APSA Council has acted to name Anthony (Tony) Affigne, Providence College, to fill an interim vacancy on the Council until September 2005. The vacancy was created when Robert Axelrod, University of Michigan, moved from a position on the Council to Vice President following the last Annual Business Meeting. The Constitution calls for the Council to fill interim vacancies in its own membership. The Council opted to fill this position by considering members from B.A.- and M.A.-granting institutions, since such members have served on the Council relatively infrequently. The Council considered a number of faculty from these institutions with active records of service in the Association, identified both from records of APSA service and by suggestions from Council members.

The following tables display the 10 most frequently downloaded APSA journal articles from the Cambridge University Press web site from January 2002 to present.

2004 was a busy and rewarding year on the international front. Existing programs continued to thrive, while new initiatives were formulated and are in the process of being refined. At the end of 2004, APSA records showed 1,839 members residing overseas, approximately 12.2% of the overall membership. A detailed breakdown of this number is available later in this section.

In the July 2004 issue of PS, Ashu Varshney discussed the internationalization of the APSA and made a number of valuable suggestions. I applaud the APSA for bringing the discussion about internationalization into the association and Varshney for reporting a list of suggestions. Here, I would like to offer a perspective that supports the initiative but speaks from a different perspective in two ways:

1. I am a faculty member at a primarily undergraduate public liberal arts institution, the sort of institution that Varshney correctly claims needs the assistance of the association to take advantage of the opportunities offered by international connections. My institution is located in the Midwest, which is of some relevance for the argument.

2. I am, in Varshney's definition, an international scholar. I obtained my Ph.D. in the U.S., but was born and raised in the Netherlands.

Since 2000, the French Politics Groups of APSA and PSA have been working in close collaboration, thanks to PSA/APSA financial support and the leadership of Robert Elgie (Dublin City University), Andrew Appleton (Washington State University), and Amy Mazur (Washington State University). The major goal of this collaboration is to strengthen the study of French Politics by bringing together research communities on both sides of the Atlantic.

In 1990, the Japanese Political Science Association (JPSA) and the APSA initiated a formal exchange program. Every year, the JPSA invites APSA representatives to attend our annual meeting—where they have a joint session with Japanese members—and sends two JPSA representatives to the APSA Annual Meeting. In 2004, APSA President Margaret Levi (University of Washington) and Ian Shapiro (Yale University) attended the JPSA meeting in Sapporo; the JPSA exchange participants in the APSA Annual Meeting in Chicago were Ryosuke Amiya (Kobe University) and Kensuke Takayasu (Hokkaido University).

The people of Fukuoka are open, unpretentious, and unlike the stereotypical image of the meticulous Japanese, happy to let loose. The moment you arrive in Fukuoka to attend the 2006 IPSA World Congress in early July, the city will sweep you up in the excitement of its most famous festival, Hakata Gion Yamakasa. The city has welcomed the arrival of summer for the last 760 years with this 15-day long festival, which culminates on July 15th in the powerful portable shrine race. The race begins at daybreak, as hundreds of men rush with beautifully decorated floats each weighing over a ton on their shoulders, with all of Fukuoka cheering them on by throwing water on the racers' hot bodies. This bustling celebration of summer epitomizes what has long been considered the Fukuoka spirit.

March 1–5: International Studies Association Annual Convention, Honolulu, Hawaii, www.isanet.org/hawaii.

Formed: 1983, Dues: $10 The purpose of this section is to plan, develop, and implement professional activities for Association members with interests in federalism, intergovernmental relations and state and local government. Web site: http://www.apsafederalism.org/

Wednesday, September 1, 2004 Chicago, Illinois 9:30AM–5:00PM