Athens, Ga. – Five University of Georgia faculty members have received Athletic Association Professorships endowed by UGA’s Athletic Association.
The professorships were awarded to John Grable, College of Family and Consumer Sciences, department of housing and consumer economics; Robert Grafstein, School of Public and International Affairs, department of political science and associate dean; Gerald Henry, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, department of crop and soil sciences; Harold Mulherin, Terry College of Business, department of banking and finance; and David E. Shipley, School of Law, professor of copyright, administrative law and civil procedure and a former dean of the law school.
The UGA Athletic Association has funded a total of 14 professorships since May 2006, as a demonstration of its commitment to academics.
“We take great pride in funding these professorships,” said UGA Athletic Director Greg McGarity. “Our faculty serve as the backbone of our entire enterprise, and we are fortunate to be able to assist the university in this manner.”
Grable joined UGA in August and is focusing his research on the financial risk tolerance of consumers and developing and testing financial therapy models through the ASPIRE (Acquiring Strategies for Personal Improvement and Relationship Enhancement) Clinic. Specifically, his scholarship looks to find a link between stress management and better financial outcomes for consumers.
Grable began his career at Texas Tech University as an assistant professor, and in 1999, he joined Kansas State University, where he rose to the rank of professor in 2008 and was named the Vera Mowery McAninch Professor of Human Development and Family Studies. He also served as director of the Certified Financial Planning programs at the university, director of the Institute of Personal Financial Planning and co-director of the Financial Therapy Clinic. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business and economics from the University of Nevada in Reno, his master’s degree in business administration from Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y., and his doctoral degree in family resource management from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Grafstein is an expert in tax policy and social security. An associate dean and professor of political science, Grafstein has conducted research and written extensively on such topics as the politics of economic policy and the social security program. Most recently, he studied the politics of social security programs in the U.S. and China as well and the FairTax program. He is the author of numerous articles and the books Institutional Realism and Choice-Free Rationality, and he currently is co-editing a book comparing U.S. and Chinese politics.
Affiliated with UGA since 1976, Grafstein has served as an assistant professor, associate professor, professor and head of the department of political science at UGA. In addition, he oversees the Maymester in China Study Abroad Program, a leadership role he has held since 2005. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Pennsylvania in 1969, and his master’s and doctoral degrees in political science from the University of Chicago in 1974 and 1976, respectively.
Henry joined UGA in May. His scholarship focuses on environmental turfgrass science with an emphasis on plant/pest/environment interactions. Henry specifically studies physiology, ecology, weed science, pathology, fertility and management, and he has dedicated his research to providing support for golf course, home lawn and athletic field turf management. He recently received a three-year grant from the U.S Golf Association to examine management impacts on carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions of golf courses and a two-year grant from the Georgia Golf Environmental Foundation to identify the physiological response of Bermuda grass to a soil moisture gradient.
He received a bachelor’s degree in plant science and a master’s degree in plant biology from Rutgers University and a doctoral degree in crop science from North Carolina State University. Prior to joining the faculty at UGA, Henry served as an assistant professor in the department of horticulture and turfgrass sciences at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.
Mulherin’s research interests are in mergers and acquisitions, organization of markets, corporate governance and corporate control. On the faculty in the Terry College since 2006, was a Fulbright Distinguished Scholar in mergers and acquisitions in Italy, and he has served as co-editor of the Journal of Corporate Finance since 1998.
Prior to joining the Terry College, Mulherin served in academic positions at Clemson University, Dartmouth College, Pennsylvania State University and Claremont McKenna College. He has held corporate positions at the Getty Oil Co., the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He received his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Georgia and his master’s and doctoral degrees in economics from UCLA.
Shipley joined the Georgia Law faculty as dean and professor of law in July 1998. He led the school through the completion of a strategic planning process, a $3.2 million renovation of several classrooms and the law library’s Carl E. Sanders Reading Room, a school-wide technology upgrade and the creation of the director of advocacy. Also, under his leadership, there was a steady improvement of incoming student credentials. He stepped down as dean in June 2003 to return to the classroom. He teaches civil procedure, copyright, administrative law and remedies, and he helped establish the law school’s semester abroad program at England’s Oxford University in 2006.
In 2010, he was named the UGA faculty athletics representative to the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Southeastern Conference. His responsibilities include working with the Athletic Association to support the academic progress and success of UGA’s student-athletes, serving as secretary to the Athletic Association’s board of directors and monitoring compliance with NCAA rules and regulations.
Prior to joining the faculty at UGA, Shipley was dean and professor at the University of Kentucky College of Law (1993-98); dean, director of the Law Center and professor at the University of Mississippi School of Law (1990-93); and associate dean for administrative affairs and professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law (1989-90), where he started his teaching career as a visiting assistant professor in 1977. Additionally, he has served a visiting professor at William & Mary (1983-84) and Ohio State University (1986-87). He practiced law with Tillinghast, Collins & Graham for two years in Providence, R.I. Shipley earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Oberlin College and his law degree from the University of Chicago, where he was executive editor of the University of Chicago Law Review.
Previous UGA Athletic Associations Professorship recipients include Rick L. Tarleton, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, department of cellular biology; Fredrick David Quinn, College of Veterinary Medicine, department of infectious disease; Umit Yilmaz, College of Environment and Design; Samantha Joy, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, department of marine sciences; Obie Clayton, School of Social Work, Donald L. Hollowell Professor of Social Justice and Civil Rights Studies; and Julie Anne Luft, College of Education, department of math and science education. Three additional professorships have been endowed in the College of Pharmacy, the College of Public Health and the College of Veterinary Medicine, and an announcement concerning the recipients will be made soon.
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