Archive for February 2009

Who is Matt?

If you have been reading this blog you will notice that in every entry thus far the author is listed as “Matt.”  A kind person recently emailed a comment about the blog and indicated they did not know who Matt is.  I guess I never really introduced myself formally on the blog.

My name is Matt Clemons.  My Mom is really the only one who calls me Matthew but I respond to either name.  I am the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid.  I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon and in addition to living in New York City have lived in Pusan, South Korea and Santa Clara, California.  What would I be doing if I was not typing this?  I would be riding my bike.  I am an avid cyclist and ride my bike to and from work every day.  I absolutely love my job and higher education in general.

Why should you heed the advice I put on the blog other than the fact that I work at SIPA?  Well, I have been working in higher education since George H.W. Bush was in office, but perhaps of more relevance to you is the fact that I obtained a professional graduate degree and borrowed money and received free money to do so.   So the advice I give is based not only on my work experience, but on my personal experience as a student.  Also of note is that I enrolled in my graduate program at age 28, very close to the average age of a new SIPA student.

I will not bore you with other details about me, but I will share a quick personal story that is always on my mind this time of year.  This is a tough time of year for me because not all admission decisions can be favorable.  It is tough to deny applicants that really have their heart set on something.  That is where my story comes in . . .

Many, many years ago when I was a senior in college (and the walk to classes was uphill both ways) I knew that I wanted to get out of the U.S. for a while after graduating.  I had my heart set on the Peace Corps and enthusiastically submitted my application.  A few months later I got a letter in the mail telling me a story many people hear this time of year: it was a very qualified and deep pool and I did not make the cut.  It was very hard news for me to hear at the time, but looking back, it was the best thing that ever happened to me.

I still wanted to go overseas so I applied for English teaching jobs in several countries and ended up taking a job in Pusan, South Korea.  I not only had a wonderful time in Korea, I met my wife while teaching.  Looking back, I could not be more thankful that the Peace Corps letter was not the one I was looking for, even though at the time I received it I was dismayed.

I tell this story because it is not easy for me to sign off on deny letters and I always hope that people realize that life is full twists and turns.  We often grapple to understand why things often do not turn out the way we want them to, only later to realize that difficult news opened doors we were later happy to walk through.  Many of you will receive offers of admission and you will come to SIPA and do wonderful things.  I have no doubt that those who do not come to SIPA will also go on to do wonderful things to help make the world a better place.

So, I am the man behind the blog and that is a little bit about me and what is on my mind this time of year.  Back to reading . . . and no, decisions have not started to out yet – more on that next week so stay tuned.

Kemal Dervis to Teach at SIPA

Kemal Dervis will teach a two semester course on global economic governance at SIPA, following the conclusion of his tenure as head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Dervis will co-teach with José Antonio Ocampo and will be a fellow of the Committee on Global Thought during the 2009 – 2010 academic year. Prior to his appointment with the UNDP, Dervis was a member of the Turkish Parliament (2002 – 2005), Minister of Economic Affairs of Turkey (2001 – 2002) and Vice-President of the World Bank (1996 – 2001).

Photo credit to UNDP.

Fall 2009 Applicants: A Quick Look Inside the Numbers

The Admissions Committee still has a lot of work to do and decisions have not started to go out yet (early March has always been our goal) but I took a break from reading recently to play with some numbers in Excel.  I am kind of a data hound and as funny as it may sound, running Pivot Tables in Excel relaxes me.

I like to think of Excel as a video game for an Admissions Director.  Young people have a Wii or PlayStation, this middle aged manager has Microsoft Office (cue Apple commercial making fun of “PC guy”).  Although our I.T. department did just upgrade us to Office 2007 and getting used to a new interface is a challenge . . . but I digress.

I just thought I would provide a bit of information on the make up of the applicant pool for this year.  Here are a few miscellaneous facts regarding the applications we are now pouring over.

  • Citizens of 102 different countries applied this year.  We also have a large number of U.S. Permenent Residents so the total number of countries people have a connection with in the pool probably well exceeds 120.
  • Applicants have attended well over 900 different colleges and universities.
  • 59% of the applicant pool is female.  Using my adroit quantitative abilities that means 41% is male.
  • The average age of the applicant pool is 25 years and 5 months.  The average age of newly enrolled students in past years has been approximately 27 and 4 months.

That is a quick update.  Now it’s time to put away my toy and get back to reading applications.

This Past Week at SIPA: Will China Run out of Water?

The Earth Institute’s Columbia Water Center Seminar Series this past week presented “Will China Run Out Of Water?” with Chunmiao Zheng, Professor of Hydrogeology; SSPA Faculty Fellow; 2009 Birdsall-Dreiss Distinguished Lecturer, University of Alabama.

The following comes from the Earth Institute’s Web site:

The American agricultural expert and environmentalist Lester Brown published a provocative book in 1995 called “Who Will Feed China: Wake-Up Call for a Small Planet.” Today, however, of a greater concern may be the question of whether the unprecedented economic growth in China over the past two decades can be sustained as the environmental pollution and water shortage continue to worsen. Some people have asked, “Will China run out of water?” This question is not merely academic: China has to nourish a fifth of the global population with about seven percent of the planet’s water resources.

Ample evidence suggests that China faces a daunting water resource crisis. The country has been battling water shortages in its northern and western provinces for more than a decade. The presentation draws on the presenter’s recent research work in the North China Plain and the Ordos Basin in western China.

Chunmiao Zheng received the B.S. degree in geology from Chengdu University of Technology (China) in 1983, and the Ph.D. degree in hydrogeology with a minor in civil & environmental engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1988. From 1988 to 1993, he was a hydrogeologist at the environmental consulting firm S.S. Papadopulos & Associates, Inc. Since 1993, he has been a professor of hydrogeology in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Alabama.

For a profile of Chunmiao Zheng click here.

Scholarship Program for Colombian Applicants

Applicants from Colombia who are admitted to SIPA will have the opportunity to apply for funding through a special program run by the Colombian government.  The objective of the COLFOTURO program is to help Colombian students study abroad with the goal of promoting the economic and social development of Colombia.  For information on the program, click here.

If admitted to SIPA, applicants who are citizens of Colombia can fill out the paperwork to be considered.  Please see their Web site for specific details.


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—Merit E. Janow, Dean, SIPA, Professor of Practice, International and Economic Law and International Affairs

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