Pruitt, Samory T.

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North Georgia College & State University: Digital Commons

Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship 
Volume 1 Issue 1 Article 1 
September 2008 
Welcome from the Publisher 
Samory T. Pruitt 
The University of Alabama 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/jces 
Recommended Citation 
Pruitt, Samory T. (2008) "Welcome from the Publisher," Journal of Community Engagement and 
Scholarship: Vol. 1 : Iss. 1 , Article 1. 
Available at: https://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/jces/vol1/iss1/1 
This Editors Letter is brought to you for free and open access by Nighthawks Open Institutional Repository. It has 
been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship by an authorized editor of 
Nighthawks Open Institutional Repository. 
2 JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND SCHOLARSHIP–Vol. 1, No. 1
We extend a warm welcome to readers of the Journal of Community Engage-ment and Scholarship. Many of you 
were also our encouragers, giving us the extra 
measure of determination we needed to com-
plete this first edition on a tight schedule. 
It certainly wasn’t the smartest thing we’ve 
ever done, launching a new research journal 
from concept to completion in one year, but 
without question it has been one of our most 
satisfying projects.
Let me say up front: I am the publisher, 
responsible for financial aspects of the journal, 
but content decisions are those of our editorial 
staff and distinguished editorial board.
What were some of those decisions? Since 
fall 2007, we came up with a name for the jour-
nal, inviting our campus and community part-
ners to suggest a name. We recruited a staff and a 
nationally representative editorial board, whom 
we met in conference call to incorporate their 
ideas into the journal’s philosophy, appearance, 
and operation. 
In quick succession we acquired about 30 
manuscripts to review for the inaugural issue 
and reviewed them using standard peer-review 
procedures. We established the journal’s visual 
identity, developed a related website, got es-
timates for printing costs, hired a printer, cre-
ated a distribution list, and turned the text and 
images over to our editing and design team. 
And here it is. Somehow we did it, thanks 
to our dedicated staff, fast turnaround from re-
viewers, some of whom were supposed to be on 
vacation, and, especially, our university admin-
istration.
We are proud of this first issue, but we know 
the best is yet to come, because the best years of 
engagement scholarship lie ahead as together we 
find more creative ways to combine curriculum 
and research in community settings.
Like many universities, we have a proud his-
tory of service, a term that is in our campus’s 
mission statement and is emblazoned on the 
sign announcing entry to our campus. But only 
in recent years have we begun to transform ser-
vice into engagement, an integrated approach 
inviting scholars, bright students, and thought-
ful community members to pool resources to 
produce effective, measurable, sustainable, and 
portable results.
It is the best of this new approach that we 
pledge to bring to you in the pages of your new 
journal. Let us know what you think and send us 
your ideas for improvement.
About the Author
Samory T. Pruitt is vice president for Com-
munity Affairs at The University of Alabama, 
from which he received the bachelor’s, master’s, 
and Ph.D. degrees. He can be reached at samory.
pruitt@ua.edu.
Welcome from the Publisher
Samory T. Pruitt
1
Pruitt: Welcome from the Publisher
Published by Nighthawks Open Institutional Repository, 2008


Welcome from the Publisher

https://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002&context=jces

Welcome from the Publisher

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North Georgia College & State University: Digital Commons