A Changing of the Guard at Journal of Geoscience Education

The NAGT Executive Committee thanks Dr. Julie Libarkin (Michigan State University) and Dr. Joe Elkins (University of Northern Colorado) for three years of dedicated service to the Journal of Geoscience Education. During their terms as editor-inchief and editor for technology, respectively, Julie and Joe moved JGE from a print-only journal to an online journal and instituted an online submission system.

Julie and her staff also shifted JGE's submission standards to emphasize more academically rigorous and research-oriented articles. They encouraged authors to reference the literature, describe activities so that others can replicate them, and include statistical analysis of data.

These changes brought the journal to a new and higher level. They also required a great deal of work. We extend a big "thank you" to Julie and Joe for their leadership in these transitions and their hard work in bringing them to fruition.

We are happy to announce that Dr. Kristen St. John of James Madison University (Harrisonburg, Virginia) is succeeding Julie as editor-in-chief. Kristen has been editor for curriculum and instruction under Julie and has worked with her during the journal's transition. She also served as associate editor under Julie's predecessor, Carl Drummond.

Kristen comes to her new role with ideas for increasing the range of articles in JGE to includecontent on "hot" areas in geoscience education and emerging themes in the geosciences—with the goal of helping educators keep up with advances and trends in the many subfields that impact our teaching. She wants to work with JGE's editorial boardto build a community of reviewers who know each other well. Like all editors, she also would like to reduce the turnaround-time for manuscripts from submission to publication.

NAGT is fortunate to have so many talented and experienced professionals dedicated to helping it improve its service to members. We are thrilled to have Kristen coming on at this critical time in the history of the journal. Her experience, vision, and skill will help her shepherd it forward as it matures in its new form. — Janis D. Treworgy, president, NAGT