As they study politics and government, many of our students learn about “scarce resources” and about public budgeting, which is the government’s tricky art of trying to deliver services that the public badly wants using the tax revenue that the government is able to collect. The summary of that story is that there really isn’t enough to go around, and government agencies and programs struggle to do their jobs with the budget that the legislature has appropriated to them.

As in many of the other 50 states, Georgia’s legislature has been gradually decreasing (as a proportion) its budget appropriations to the state universities, requiring the universities to raise the rest of what they need through increased tuition and fees, sales of such things as food and souvenirs, investments of private-business partners (such as when a private company builds and operates a dormitory as a business enterprise), and donations. The editors of The PSIA Review would like to chat with you in this article about donations.

Please consider donating to the UNG Foundation and specifying the Department of Political Science and International Affairs as the recipient of your donation.  If the department could attract financial support from alumni and other friends of the department, it would have the resources to provide more funding for political-science research by students and faculty members, awards to students whose accomplishments stand out, and scholarships. Many of our alumni will remember, especially in recent years when the state’s sales-tax revenues slumped, the effects of the worse-than-usual scarcity of resources.

Maria J. Albo, this newsletter’s editor who is an alumna and faculty member, regularly donates to the foundation. “I donate to the foundation because I am grateful for all of the opportunities I have been given as a student and faculty member,” she said. “By donating to the Department of Political Science and International Affairs, I am able to directly contribute toward department activities that benefit my colleagues and majors in our department. I believe that, by regularly contributing to the university through donations and service, one solidifies her commitment to UNG and the campus community.”

Barry D. Friedman, this newsletter’s associate editor and professor of political science, has been donating to the foundation and the department since he joined North Georgia College’s faculty in 1992. In the mid-1990s, Dr. Friedman became a member of the foundation’s only donor-recognition society at the time, the President’s Club. Today’s foundation has a number of recognition societies, although the President’s Club was closed to new memberships about a decade ago; the members were “grandfathered” in, and Dr. Friedman continues to donate every year to maintain his affiliation. “I have always been grateful to the State of Georgia for giving me a very fulfilling career since 1987, when Valdosta State College hired me,” he said. “It seemed to make sense that I should share the benefits that I receive from the state and the university by donating to the foundation and demonstrating my commitment to the university, the department, and our students.”

Amy Brackett is the foundation’s development officer who focuses on the College of Arts and Letters, the college which contains our department. “In a time of tightening budgets, inflation and economic instability, it is a real challenge to ask people to give,” she stated. “But it doesn’t take much to make a big difference at UNG‑‑even $10 a month truly adds up. Giving is transformational. Some donors simply feel great about doing something kind for someone else; some feel more deeply connected to a cause they believe in; some give because they want to create a culture of giving within their families; and the list goes on.

“One great thing I see happen time and time again among faculty and staff members who decide to start giving is that they begin to understand how our donors feel about where their money goes: They are more thoughtful about how‑‑and how carefully‑‑that money is spent. They understand the trust and good faith behind every dollar we receive. UNG is incredibly fortunate to have so many out there who love this institution and want to help,” Ms. Brackett concluded.

Please consider making a donation now and annually. Send your tax-deductible donation, payable to the “UNG Foundation,” to this address:

UNG Foundation
P.O. Box 1599
Dahlonega, GA  30533

Be sure to specify that your donation is directed to the Department of Political Science and International Affairs (Fund Number 6763).  To contact Ms. Brackett, write to her at amy.brackett@UNG.edu .

Thanks for considering this request!