Gribbons, Jackie M.

UVM ScholarWorks

The Vermont ConnectionVolume 31 Think Globally, Act Locally, CarePersonally: Connecting Personal and ProfessionalDiscoveries in Student AffairsArticle 19January 2010A Tribute to ExcellenceJackie M. GribbonsFollow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uvm.edu/tvcPart of the Higher Education Administration CommonsThis Reflection is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Education and Social Services at ScholarWorks @ UVM. It has beenaccepted for inclusion in The Vermont Connection by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ UVM. For more information, please contactdonna.omalley@uvm.edu.Recommended CitationGribbons, Jackie M. (2010) "A Tribute to Excellence," The Vermont Connection: Vol. 31, Article 19.Available at: http://scholarworks.uvm.edu/tvc/vol31/iss1/19 • 167A Tribute to ExcellenceJackie M. GribbonsGreetings to one and all, and heartfelt congratulations to The Vermont Connection (TVC) for over 30 consecutive years of  publication. And so, here I am again… and eternally grateful that I can say this. It is an honor to have been invited to share some brief  reflections about the historical journey of  TVC, and I am im-mediately thrust into a maze of  memories about the evolution of  this journal. With this issue, the HESA program is entering its fourth decade of  this proud and prestigious publication. Starting with the first volume, TVC was built upon a firm and strong foundation. There has always been a quest and demand for quality, if  not perfection. Through the years, these principles and the highest of  standards have guided several hundred Editorial Board members to seek lofty and mainly attainable goals, and readers and contributing authors have been the beneficiaries. What makes TVC so special and why was it conceived? Through my lens, the following highlights have helped me to solidify the endur-ing nature of  TVC: •The HESA Journal was designed as a laboratory in its purist form using the most recent edition of  the Publication Manual of  the American Psy-chological Association for reference style and general guidelines. Involve-ment offered the experience of  learning firsthand that contributing to the profession’s body of  knowledge and scholarship was a value that stemmed from the dedication to inform, strengthen, and give meaning to how we think about the work we do. Advising was paramount to cultivating student learning, and exceptionally qualified faculty and staff  filled the roles of  ad-visors, teachers, and models of  published authors. It is an understatement to say that TVC was and continues to be blessed by this invaluable sup-port. As a leader among competitive higher education graduate programs, we paved the way for our students, alumni/ae, colleagues, and friends to conduct research in multiple venues, and to learn how to write manuscripts worthy of  juried publication. Determined to be on the “cutting edge,” early journals invited open-ended submissions which were later replaced with a Professor Emerita Jackie M. Gribbons retired from UVM after  41 years of  service as a central administrator and faculty member.  She is the co-founder of  the HESA program, has five leadership and service awards that honor her name, and received a rare Honorary Doctorate degree from the University of  Vermont in 2007.Gribbons168 • The Vermont Connection • 2010 • Volume 31 focus on singular journal themes, reflected again in this current issue. We know it as “making a difference,” and every issue has strived to achieve this entity. •As publication interns, serving on elected Editorial Boards has been one of  the most coveted and regarded responsibilities and commitments to the HESA program. Serving in this capacity, board members have often faced unexpected challenges: authors missing the dreaded deadlines, boards who wanted to reach the same goals but sometimes could not achieve them, printer providers who messed up, the occasional fuzzy understanding of  the roles of  board members, countless hours upon hours of  just plain hard work, and the “five star” stressful production weekend. But, in the end, dynamics between board members, contributing authors, advisors, and fac-ulty served as a real life experience about how to get things done with and for others, effectively, cooperatively, and happily. In the end—professional QUALITY!—and a feeling of  well-deserved accomplishments. •Not satisfied with the annual production of  a scholarly journal, through the years TVC leaders have carved out other niches in the organization’s mission. One of  the most important niches is the annual phon-a-thon fundraiser, which continues to garner the necessary financial support to sustain publications and other critical activities including annual newslet-ters, directories, and national conference reunion events. There is just no way the HESA program could be held in distinguished national acclaim without this kind of  effort to keep all of  us involved in the life of  our graduate program to which so many have contributed and hold so dear. Finally, there have been hundreds of  article submissions, thousands of  drafts, ed-its, and re-edits, and “walla,” a journal stands alone among its peers. If  it appears as though I have showered accolades upon the virtues of  The Vermont Connection, it is because I have! Thank you to all who write, read, and lead, and to TVC for being a precious jewel of  the HESA program and providing unique opportuni-ties to keep us involved and engaged in the pursuit of  scholarly excellence. 

A Tribute to Excellence

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A Tribute to Excellence

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