Journal of Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research
Volume 4 (2012)
With this volume, The Journal of Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research (JIUR) enters its fourth year of publication. From the inception, our intent has been to make this journal interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary in approach, publishing original and review papers, including literature reviews, book reviews, film reviews, position papers, empirical work, experiential reflections, and original quantitative and qualitative research. By offering undergraduates the chance to express their ideas to a broader audience, we seek to demonstrate the strength of undergraduate scholarship at Southern Adventist University and our continuing focus on academic excellence.
Now that our journal has become a staple in the academic nutrition of our campus, an increasing number of students are hungry for the fruits of their labors to be shared with a wider audience. Moreover, many faculty members are actively encouraging their best students to submit their work, partly as a way of promoting quality work and partly to reflect upon the high quality performance in their disciplines. This increasing desire to be published in our journal is both rewarding and gratifying.
The compilation of our journal would not have been possible without our graduate assistant, Sarah Crowe. With quiet confidence she assumed this role, assuring that our busy editorial board stayed on schedule, worked with anxious students who submitted manuscripts for publication, edited to insure each submission met written guidelines, and formatted each and every page in compliance with professional standards. Her attention to detail allowed the editorial board to relax in the full confidence that the finished product would reflect the excellence we desired. If there is a contingent within your university that is interested in producing such a journal, the timetable from inception to completion Sarah developed would serve as an invaluable guide. I would gladly share it with you for the asking (rcoombs@southern.edu).
We are pleased and grateful to our university, especially the School of Education and Psychology, for continued 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
Surviving the Journey Home: Social Support and Student Sojourner
Juliana McGraw, Lauren Brooks, Megan Myers, Andrew Vizcarra, Daphni Edwards, Eduardo Arroyo, and Alberto Hernandez