Volume 4 (2018)

This volume of The Journal of Interdisciplinary Graduate Research (JIGR), now in its fourth year of publication, marks my second year as editor-in-chief of the two journals produced by the School of Education & Psychology at Southern Adventist University (SAU). While this position certainly brings with it a number of challenges, such as meeting editorial and print deadlines, I have been incredibly blessed to be able to play a part in helping students gain exposure and recognition for the incredible research they are producing. It has been gratifying to see the behind-the-scenes process of publishing a journal – from advertising for submissions, working with an editorial team to review and select the best submissions for publication, ensuring correct editing and formatting, getting the manuscript sent off for publication, and finally sending hard copies to subscribers.

Since its inception in 2014, the goal of the JIGR editorial team has sought to publish the highest quality work from students in the various graduate programs across the campus of SAU and beyond. This edition is no exception. After receiving a number of submissions for publication, our editorial team selected four high quality manuscripts for publication that represent a variety of disciplines including Religion, Nursing, and Counseling. We are excited to provide an avenue for these works to be distributed to academic libraries, universities, individual subscribers, and SAU’s Knowledge Exchange online repository.

The compilation of this journal would truly not have been possible without the incredible work of our graduate assistant Davida Phillips. Now in her second year in the position of publication specialist, as well as the Master’s Program in School Counseling, Davida’s workload increased dramatically. Not only was she tasked with keeping the editorial board on schedule, working with a number of students who submitted manuscripts, making edits to manuscripts, and formatting the journal for publication, she also had to keep up with all of her coursework as well as spend 21 hours per week at an internship. While all of this may have been overwhelming for many, Davida has approached these tasks with proficiency and a smile. I am truly grateful for Davida and her work in driving the publication of this edition of the JIGR.

We also want to give thanks and recognition to our outstanding editorial team that reflects the immense talent we have on our campus: Bonnie Eder, Ed.D., School of Education; Ronda Christman, Ph.D., School of Nursing; Laura Racovita-Szilagyi, Ph.D., School of Social Work; and Polina Kadatska, Ph.D., School of Global Community Development

Finally, we are also grateful for the administration at Southern Adventist University, especially in the School of Education and Psychology, for their continued support and encouragement, as we strive to continue producing this journal, which serves as a showcase for the excellent work of our students.

Tron Wilder, Ph.D.
Editor-in-Chief