New JOE Editor for 2016

New JOE Editor for 2016

I am very happy to announce that the JOE Board (aka Extension Journal, Inc.) has selected a new editor for 2016—an excellent one.

Debbie Allen, who will assume the editorship January 1, 2016, has an extensive background in scholarly and technical editing and experience editing Extension materials. The latter has given her the understanding of the mission and methods of Extension that we need in JOE's editor.

At least as important in my view is that she has a commitment to serving authors as a writing coach. This means that JOE will continue to provide a "unique combination of academic rigor and professional development."

Come January 1, you'll be able to reach Ms. Allen at joe-ed@joe.org. I am confident that you will both enjoy and benefit from working with her and that JOE will be in good hands.

October JOE

The first Commentary, "4-H and the Maker Movement" <http://www.joe.org/joe/2015october/comm1.php>, characterizes the movement as an "opportunity" for 4-H programs to "get involved and keep 4-H relevant." The second, "Our Role in and Responsibility Toward Social Justice" <http://www.joe.org/joe/2015october/comm2.php>, explains that "people of color have been historically marginalized and stripped of equitable access to education throughout this country" and that one way Extension can "help foster social justice" is "to increase programs that enhance social capital."

The first Feature, "Framing a Public Issue for Extension: Challenges in Oil and Gas Activity" <http://www.joe.org/joe/2015october/a1.php>, "applies public policy education to oil and gas activity, including hydraulic fracturing." The next two, "A Framework for Identifying Implementation Issues Affecting Extension Human Sciences Programming" <http://www.joe.org/joe/2015october/a2.php> and "Engaging and Training Professionals to Implement Family Strengthening Programs: Lessons Learned" http://www.joe.org/joe/2015october/a3.php>, focus attention on the important issue of implementation.

Moving from the "front" of the issue to the "back," we find "Building Connections, Collections, and Communities: Increasing the Visibility and Impact of Extension Through Institutional Repositories" <http://www.joe.org/joe/2015october/tt1.php>, which positions institutional repositories as "powerful tools that can be used to raise the global visibility of Extension scholarship, highlight resources from individual initiatives and projects, provide readership statistics to demonstrate impact, and create digital archives to create topical collections and to facilitate study on the history of Extension." Wow. Other Tools of the Trade articles go from highlighting the usefulness of the tried-and-true Post-it note to describing new apps and online programs.

I've just skimmed the surface. The 34 articles in the October issue offer something for everyone.