Volume 2 (2010)

With this volume, The Journal of Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research (JIUR) enters its second year of publication. Like new parents, we the publishers are gradually becoming surer of ourselves, more confident in our abilities, and a little more certain of where to lead our rapidly growing child. Our journal’s birth quickly gained the attention of our campus, and the ensuing appreciation and admiration for its purpose, content, and quality has been extremely gratifying. We certainly hoped that our journal would become tangible evidence of what should be a primary focus of every university — academics. Recognizing, celebrating, appreciating, and rewarding the pursuit of knowledge is the hallmark of academic excellence. We are growing to understand that academic excellence not only generated the conception and birth of this journal but will continue to shape its growth and development.

Growing pains were most evident by the response of our students. Submissions dramatically increased this year, which certainly enlarged the workload of our editorial board. None of us complained though, and we treated every submission as a possible gift to our journal. Although only five submissions were granted publication, we celebrated the enthusiasm which led so many hopeful students to submit their work.

Thanks to the excellent work of our graduate assistant, Daniel Olson, our growing pains were tolerable. He is a student with a plan, and he faithfully worked this plan to ensure the completion of this journal with as little stress as possible. In fact, if a group within your university is thinking of becoming proud parents of such a journal, the timetable from inception to completion that Daniel developed would serve as an invaluable parenting guide. I would gladly share it with you for the asking (rcoombs@southern.edu) as encouraging the birth of other undergraduate research journals is a priority.

Enjoy reading the second volume of what we know will be a long line of publications of exceptional undergraduate academic research papers from our university. With this publication, we believe we have remained true to our original intention — to offer undergraduates the opportunity to express their ideas to a broader, university-wide audience. By publishing scholarly work from a variety of disciplines and by collaborating with university faculty, administration, and student authors, the JIUR integrates into discussion the diverse discourses of our university’s intellectual community. In doing so, we seek to demonstrate the strength of undergraduate scholarship at Southern Adventist University and our continuing focus on academic excellence.

We are pleased and grateful to our university, especially the School of Education and Psychology, for support, encouragement, and most of all, the commitment to academic excellence that affords this publication.

Robert S. Coombs, D.Min., Ph.D.
Editor-in-Chief