Shannon Lindsey Blanton is Professor of Political Science at The University of Memphis, where she is also the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Programs. She oversees all undergraduate programs and provides leadership for curriculum development, general education, retention programming, the Center for International Programs and Services, the Honors Program, Learning Communities, and academic advising services. She is a past department chair and undergraduate coordinator, and has served nationally as a facilitator for leadership development in higher education. A graduate of Georgia College (B.A.), the University of Georgia (M.A.), and the University of South Carolina (Ph.D.), she has received… numerous research awards and was named in 2007 as the recipient of The University of Memphis' esteemed Alumni Association Distinguished Research in the Social Sciences and Business Award. She has served on a number of editorial boards, including those for four of the discipline's foremost journals, International Studies Quarterly, Foreign Policy Analysis, International Interactions, and International Studies Perspectives.