Category: politics

James A. Joseph, former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa in the immediate wake of the release and election of Nelson Mandela in the late 1990's, will present a talk this afternoon at 4 pm in the UGA Chapel. The talk is “Leadership as a Way of Being: Reflections on Nelson Mandela, Servant Leadership and Personal Renewal.”

Joseph has served in the administrations of four U.S. Presidents. He was the only holder of the office of U.S. Ambassador to South Africa to present his credentials to President Nelson Mandela. In 1999, President Thabo Mbeki awarded Joseph the Order of Good Hope, the highest honor the Republic of South Africa bestows on a citizen of another country. He is currently Professor of the Practice of Public Policy Studies at Duke University and executive director of the United States – Southern Africa Center for Leadership and Public Values at Duke and the University of Cape Town.

If you heard Dave Marr's radio interview with Ambassador Joseph yesterday on WUGA, I don't have to encourage you to attend this lecture. Great man, with great experiences and lessons to share. Thanks Willson Center for Humanities and Arts and J.W. Fanning Institute for bringing us this terrific (and free) public event.

Image: Courtesy of the International Leadership Association

Did you know that that first time the seat of an empire was transferred to a colony happened in 1808? It was from Portugal to Rio de Janeiro, under the duress of the Napoloenic wars in Europe. And when Brazil gained its independence in 1822, the first country to recognize it was the very young United States of America and the two countries have been closely linked ever since.

This and more I learned at the inaugural Brazilian Student Association Symposium - Collaboration  & Academic Production: Stimulating Research and Partnership between UGA and Brazil, on Friday, April 5. Brazil has solid support on our campus and we have many, very talented Brazilian students at every level. The day-long event featured student panels focussed on substantive issues and research across campus, faculty that have long-supported the Portuguese language program on campus, and a terrific keynote speech by the Consul General of Brazil in Atlanta, Ambassador Hermano Telles Ribiero.

Ambassador Telles Ribiero offered a quick but informative rundown of Brazil's growing role as a leader among the family of nations. Its quickly growing economy and strong links with other regions and countries in the world make it one of our most important partners in terms of trade, energy, technology and tourism, as well as a host of issues that focus decentralized cooperation between Brazilian and U.S. cities.

Find out more about the Brazilian Student Association here. My thanks to BSA President Fernanda Guida for the very kind invitation. Congratulations on a great symposoium. Muito bem feito.

The new mural by art professor emeritus Art Rosenbaum, depicting the political history of Georgia, will be officially dedicated in its new home inside the Richard B. Russell Special Collections Library with a reception at 5:30 p.m. today in the 2nd floor Russell Gallery. There will be remarks by curators and the artist about the tremendous new work by the tireless Rosenbaum, who has given so much to the university over his long career. This mural, "Doors," has been of particular interest to me as I've been doing interviews with Art at the mural throughout the painting process. Here's one of the early ones.

For more videos on the mural visit, http://art.uga.edu/

Spaulding Distinguished Research Professor of History James Cobb takes to the pages of the New York Times to describe Republican support in the South:

Lest we go overboard in emphasizing the peculiarities of working-class white Southerners, we should remember that racially tinged, working-class white conservatism is a fixture throughout much of rural America. Also is it really all that striking that nearly 6 in 10 working-class whites in the South complained of federal favoritism toward blacks when nearly 5 in 10 responded similarly in the Northeast and the Midwest?

An authority in his field (and friend of the blog), Cobb is a favorite of reporters and opinion editors across the nation. He does a great job for UGA and the Franklin College bringing his scholarship into the sphere of popular media, where it is sorely needed.

The University of Georgia special collections libraries will celebrate the opening of the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries with a dedication on Feb. 17 at 11 a.m. on the building's front lawn:

The recently named building houses the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, the Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, the Walter J. Brown Media Archives and the Peabody Collection.

Lamar Dodd School of Art professor emeritus Art Rosenbaum was commissioned to create a mural depicting the political history of Georgia for the Russell Library at the New Special; Collections Librairies Building, set to open in 2012. I visited Art on site last week.