In the news

Dr. Patricia Sullivan is featured this morning on page 2 of the Washington Post in a full-length feature article, "Twisting Arms Isn't as Easy as Dropping Bombs" by Shankar Vedantam, devoted entirely to Professor Sullivan's research work. The article can be found here. An online subscription to the Washington Post maybe required.

UGA MyID password reminder

From one of the many email listservs on campus:

Please be advised that the deadline for all UGA students, faculty, and staff to change their MyID password to a strong password is January 31, 2007.  In accordance with University policy, all MyID passwords must be changed to comply with a set of security standards that make passwords difficult to guess or compromise, thus protecting you against unauthorized access to your email and other accounts.

The MyID is used to access UGAMail, WebCT, MyUGA, Parking Services, and a number of online departmental services.

Anyone who has not changed his or her password by February 1, 2007, will not be able to access services that require the MyID.

Password Change Web Site--Passwords can be changed at the MyID Web site:

http://myid.uga.edu

Select the “Click here to change your password” link to begin. In general, all passwords must be at least 8 characters in length, contain 1 or more special characters (< >, . / ? ' " ; : ] [ } { | + = - _ ) ( * ^ % $ # @ ! ` & ~), and cannot be a dictionary word.

Secret Question/Answer Pairs--Along with stronger passwords, MyID users are required to set answers to secret questions. The first time you change your password, you will be asked to set answers to several secret questions.  The secret question/answer pairs are a significant customer service enhancement, as they will allow you to reset a forgotten password on your own.

These secret question/answer pairs will also be used to provide additional verification of a user's identity for security-sensitive online applications. The University continues to build more Web-enabled applications that rely upon the MyID for access, and the secret question/answer pairs will provide a greater level of security for protecting private information.

Password Change Requirement--As an added security measure, you will be required to change your password every six months. You will be reminded via UGAMail when it is time to change your password.

Questions and Comments--Please direct your questions and comments to the EITS Help Desk, helpdesk@uga.edu / 706-542-3106.

UGA à Paris

Are you interested in going to Paris and earning 6 credit hours for doing so? If so, there will be an informational meeting about the UGA à Paris Study Abroad program on Tuesday, January 30 at 5 p.m. in SLC 214. Free pizza will be served. For more information about the UGA à Paris program, visit their website.

GLOBIS Friday Forum, January 26

Please join us Friday, January 26th from 3:30 to 4:30 PM for the next installment in the ongoing Friday Forum Series hosted by The Center for the Study of Global Issues (GLOBIS), to be held in the 2nd floor conference room of GLOBIS.  This week’s talk, "Carrot or Stick? U.S Foreign Aid and Recipient Country U.N. Voting Compliance: 1997-2004," will be delivered by Xiaojun Li, a graduate student in the Department of International Affairs at the University of Georgia.  The paper won the grand prize of the graduate student paper competition at ISA South, 2006, and is currently under review at ISQ.  An abstract follows:

Historically, the use of aid has often been regarded as an effective foreign policy instrument in influencing the political behaviors of recipient countries. However, studies have been inconclusive when trying to determine how the effects of foreign aid are manifested with respect to recipients' voting pattern in the United Nations. Specifically, they have not provided clear evidence of if and how the United States uses aid as to induce compliance behaviors in recipient countries. This paper first reviews the theoretical paradigms that link foreign aid with voting compliance in the United Nations. It then shows that previous empirical studies have suffered from specification, measurement, and sample-composition problems. A cross-sectional time series simultaneous equations model is then proposed to address two important questions: namely, how effective U.S. foreign aid is as an instrument to enhance U.S. influence in the United Nations in terms of voting compliance and if U.S. aid is used primarily as an inducement ("carrot") or as a punishment/reward ("stick"). Using two-stage least squares random effects estimation procedures and correcting for measurement error in both foreign aid and U.N. voting compliance, I find evidence that U.S. aid is used as an inducement. I also find that military aid is more effective than economic aid in increasing voting compliance. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of the results and directions for future research.

Also, please plan ahead for next week’s (February 2nd) presentation on Somalia by Dr. Abdulahi Osman of the Department of International Affairs.  In addition, if anyone is interested in presenting a paper, thesis, prospectus, or dissertation to an interested and informed audience, please contact Jon Polk at the e-mail address or phone number listed below.

GLOBIS is located in the historic Franklin House on the corner of South Thomas St. and East Broad St. at the Northern edge of campus.  Please email jonpolk@uga.edu or call 706-542-6633 for directions or to be removed from our mailing list.

Founders Day Lecture

The UGA Alumni Association and the Emeriti Scholars are sponsoring the annual Founders' Day Lecture, scheduled for Thursday, January 25 at 3 p.m. at the Chapel in honor of the 222nd anniversary of the adoption of the University of Georgia charter by the Georgia General Assembly. Professor Clifton Pannell will deliver the lecture entitled "The China Challenge: Outlook for the 21st Century."

Taped highlights of the Redcoat Band's historic 16-day tour of China last May will precede the lecture from 2 until 3 p.m. for your viewing enjoyment.

Wish you were here?

Something different than the usual posts on our blog--an impromptu demolition derby on the ice covered streets of Portland, Oregon.

Spring semester

Welcome back to campus for spring semester! We hope everyone enjoyed the time off from classes and had a good holiday season.

Just some dates and deadlines of importance that are coming up. First, the undergraduate drop/add period ends Thursday, January 11 at 5 pm. Anyone who wishes to add a class after that point will need the instructor's permission and a late add form available from the Registrar's Office. Anyone who withdraws from a class after that point will receive a W for the course (the midpoint withdrawal deadline is Thursday, March 1).

The drop/add period for graduate courses ends Tuesday, January 16 at 5 pm.

There are no classes, and UGA offices will be closed, on Monday, January 15 in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday.