From the Editor's Desk

The Winter 1993 Journal of Extension is the last issue to be published in my editorial term, and the final hard copy issue of this 31-year-old publication. Fortunately, we don't have to mourn the end of a venerable institution, but can celebrate its transformation into an electronic journal that will ultimately be a more useful tool for the Extension System.

We can't bring this era to an end, however, without acknowledging the people who have nurtured and sustained the Journal over the years. Foremost among those is Patrick Boyle, who retired as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin- Extension this past August. During its lifetime as a print publication, the Journal has been housed at the University of Wisconsin with its operation overseen by Dr. Boyle. Over the years, he served as a member of the board, Editorial Committee, and To the Point Review Committee. He has been a loyal supporter, mentor, and friend of the Journal at Wisconsin and within the Extension System. We're pleased to publish as this issue's lead To the Point article, "Public Policy Education: A Path to Political Support," by Patrick Boyle and Sheila Mulcahy.

Colleen Schuh, assistant editor at the University of Wisconsin, has been the foundation on which the Journal publication rested for more than 24 years. While the editorship rotated from person to person every two to three years, Colleen was always there-editing, checking footnotes, working with printers, doing page layout, and proof reading with an eagle eye. She organized board meetings and oversaw the fiscal operation, with the able assistance of Lynette Yager. For Colleen, management of the Journal has been a labor of love, and one for which we owe her great thanks. Colleen's dedication extends to assisting us with the transition through June 1994 from her new home in Pittsburgh.

The Board of Directors for the Journal also deserves recognition for its diligent work and bold decision making in moving to an electronic format. Under the outstanding leadership of James Summers of the University of Missouri, this board has spent almost two years in study and intense deliberation of the philosophical and technical issues related to electronic dissemination. Faced with difficult decisions, the board has acted on the basis of sound information and reasoned judgment.

Finally, I want to thank the members of the Editorial Committee, whose names are listed on the inside back cover. These people make the peer-review system work by volunteering their time to review manuscripts. Their dedicated service is the strength of this publication. Six committee members complete their terms on December 31, 1993. They include Emmalou Norland, Ohio, who also served as chair of the Editorial Committee; Janet Ayres, Indiana; Mena Hautau, Iowa; Barbara O'Neill, New Jersey; Thomas Quinn, Iowa; and Vicki Schmall, Oregon. The Futures and International section editors, Michael Duttweiler of New York and William Rivera of Maryland, also complete their terms.

It has been an honor to serve as editor of the Journal for the past two and a half years. During that time, we processed more than 350 manuscripts, submitted by authors from 44 states and many foreign countries. The efforts of these authors and their commitment to building and communicating Extension's knowledge base have been the lifeblood of the print Journal-and will be critical to the success of the electronic Journal. I hope you, as readers, authors, and supporters of Extension professionalism will join us in being a part of the Journal's-and the Extension System's-transition to the future.

EMR