Colorado State University

Journal of Student Affairs

Volume XII, 2003

Note from the Editors

Lea Hanson, Erin Cross, Jana Holstein, Jill Zambito, Janelle Lane, Annie Dawson, Rustain Morgan

This year marks the twelfth publication of the Colorado State University Journal of Student Affairs. A common theme among many of the decisions we have made this year circle around the idea of Leading Change; our main goal was to take the Journal to the next stage of professional and scholarly publications. Although there is a sense of tradition and continuity in this year's publication, we believe this volume of the Journal is especially exciting because of the changes we have implemented.

This year the decision to create a second position for a first-year student in the program led us to the definition of two specific roles: First-Year Liaison for Outreach and First-Year Liaison for Reader Board. The main goals of our First-Year Liaison for Outreach include maintaining ties with our alumni and associates and promoting the Journal at conferences, online, and among classmates. The First-Year Liaison for Reader Board works closely with the Content and Technical Editors in facilitating the editing process and coordinating the Reader Board. We have found this addition to be beneficial and hope that it will continue to enhance our publication.

We invited Florence Guido-DiBrito to be a featured guest author in this year's edition of the Journal. Florence Guido-DiBrito is an Associate Professor at the University of Northern Colorado, and chose to co-author the article with Alicia F. Chávez. We hope that this addition will not only enhance our publication through the addition of fine writing, but also aid us in taking a step toward a well-known and scholarly publication.

Although we have many reasons to be proud of our work and the work of our readers, we would also like to celebrate the work of our authors. Mercedes A. Benton, author of Today's College Students: Challenges African American Students Face at Predominantly White Institutions was recently approached regarding the republication of her article in A Long Way to Go: Conversations About Race by African American Faculty and Graduate Students in Higher Education, a monograph by Dr. Darrell Cleveland. Congratulations Mercedes, your accomplishments are commendable.

We hope you will enjoy the twelfth edition of the Colorado State University Journal of Student Affairs and find that our publication has continued to be, and will further become, a fine publication in the field of Student Affairs.