paul p. van riper (july 29, 1916 – july 11, 2014) was an american political scientist and professor emeritus of political science at texas a&m university's department of political science and the george bush school of government and public service. the american society for public administration honored van riper with the presentation of an annual award in his name for scholars who have made a significant contribution through his or her body of work to bridging the world of public administration scholarship and practice.