The genesis of the Great Plains Students' Psychology Convention was one of those fortuitous happenings that occur rarely. In the Fall of 1980, a group of students from Sterling College had traveled to Emporia State University (ESU) to hear a guest speaker. Following the speaker's presentation, the Sterling College students were talking with a group of ESU students. Faculty members Arn Froese (Sterling College) and Steve Davis (ESU) observed the interaction and simultaneously voiced the opinion that the students genuinely benefited from such interactions. These comments prompted the decision to have some type of student gathering on a more permanent, annual basis. The Kansas Students' Contributions to Psychology Convention and Paper Competition was the result. The guiding principle for the establishment of this convention was the desire to provide a forum for psychology students to exchange ideas, discuss relevant topics, and gain experience presenting papers.

The initial convention, held April 24-25, 1981, established a precedent that persists: The conventionis a two-day affair that is held on a Friday and Saturday. The initial Friday events consisted of a banquet and keynote speaker with all student presentations occurring on Saturday.

By 1983 the convention was sufficiently established as an annual event that the decision was made to try moving it to different locations in order to facilitate attendance by students in other parts of the state. By 1988 participation had extended beyond the borders of Kansas to include students from Missouri and Nebraska. In recognition of the expanding geographical impact of the conference, the name was permanently changed in 1990 to the Great Plains Students' Psychology Convention.

Spearheaded by the indefatigable efforts of Mark Ware (Creighton University), the Journal of Psychological Inquiry was founded in 1994 to provide undergraduate students who present at the Great Plains Convention a refereed journal in which to publish. As the Great Plains Students' Psychology Convention enters its third decade, its success and growth have exceeded the wildest dreams and expectations of its founders. Hopefully, its future holds continued growth and professional development activities for the psychology students of the Great Plains.

1. 1981 - Emporia State University
2. 1982 - Emporia State University
3. 1983 - Emporia State University
4. 1984 - Emporia State University
5. 1985 - Pittsburg State University
6. 1986 - Emporia State University
7. 1987 - Emporia State University
8. 1988 - Benedictine College
9. 1989 - Nebraska Wesleyan University
10. 1990 - Missouri Western State College
11. 1991 - Bethany College
12. 1992 - University of Nebraska at Kearney
13. 1993 - Northwest Missouri State University
14. 1994 - Rockhurst College
15. 1995 - Emporia State University
16. 1996 - Wichita State University
17. 1997 - University of Nebraska at Kearney
18. 1998 - Nebraska Wesleyan University
19. 1999 - Friends University
20. 2000 - Missouri Western State College
21. 2001 - Missouri Southern State College
22. 2002 - Emporia State University
23. 2003 - University of Nebraska at Kearney
24. 2004 - Rockhurst and Park Universities
25. 2005 - Creighton University
26. 2006 - Central Missouri State University
27. 2007 - Friends University
28. 2008 - Emporia State University
29. 2009 - University of Nebraska at Kearney
30. 2010 - Missouri Western State University
31. 2011 - Washburn University (planned)
32. 2012 - Northwest Missouri State University (planned)