The American Political Science Association (APSA) recently honored Chapman Rackaway,
professor and chair of Radford University’s Department of Political Science, for his
efforts in co-creating the Virginia Government Simulation (VGS), a mock legislature
that mimics the procedures of the Virginia General Assembly.
Rackaway, along with VGS co-creator Amanda Wintersieck, an associate professor of
political science at Virginia Commonwealth University, received ASPA’s Outstanding
Civic Engagement Project Award for their work.
Additionally, Rackaway received APSA’s Established Leader Award when the organization
announced the honors at its annual meeting on Sept. 19 in Boston. APSA presents awards
each year to honor dissertations, papers, articles, books and career achievement in
order “to bring attention to exceptional scholarship,” it announced.
Rackaway co-founded VGS to bring together college and university students for a three-day
statewide mock legislature in which they could draft, debate, amend and vote on legislation
using the actual rules and procedures of the Virginia General Assembly.
“Students do not simply role-play,” Rackaway explained. “They research genuine policy
questions, write bills that reflect real legislative drafting conventions, engage
in floor debate under parliamentary procedure and experience the negotiation and compromise
that characterize actual legislative work.”
VGS takes place at the state capital in Richmond, on the floor of the House of Delegates
– and beginning this year, the Senate, too – and allows students to sit in the same
seats as elected legislators.
The inaugural VGS event took place in early October 2024, with five Radford students
participating.
“VGS has been especially meaningful to me because it takes what we learn about government
in the classroom and makes it feel real,” said Therese Root, a junior political science
and sociology double major from Fairfax, Virginia. “You have to deliberate, compromise,
communicate and actually work through the legislative process with other students
from across Virginia.”
Root said she is grateful to Rackaway for his mentorship and noted that “it means
a lot to know that I was able to contribute to something that has now brought this
kind of recognition to Radford’s political science department.”
Kyle Murray participated in VGS as a freshman in the fall 2025 session. The political
science and history double major described the simulation as “fun and realistic,”
noting the access students had to the actual voting system used by the General Assembly.
“To know that VGS has been honored and commended with the award from the American
Political Science Association is truly amazing and humbling,” said the sophomore from
Fairfax County, Virginia. “Even more so knowing that I had a part in making that happen.”