https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9758-9135
In 2018, we stepped into the position of editors-in-chief of the Journal of Public Affairs Education. When we took over as editors, the journal was in the process of transitioning from a journal self-published by NASPAA to one that is published by Taylor & Francis. We had goals we wanted to accomplish (see McDonald & Hatcher, Citation2018), which included elevating the discussion around the scholarship of teaching and learning and promoting case studies that can be used in the public affairs classroom. We have accomplished a lot during these six years, but it is time for us to move on and for new blood and ideas to come to the journal.
There is a long tradition of editors either writing a goodbye or a reflection of their editorial term (see Lodge, Citation2022; Rhodes, Citation2022). As we prepare to say our own goodbye, we wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on our experience.
William’s reflection and goodbye
We often spend so much time in our professional lives focusing on our to-do lists for particular days that we do not step back and take time to reflect on the big picture of our work. Opportunities like this editorial provide such bittersweet reflection, and I stress bittersweet because it has been an honor serving our field by coediting JPAE. Aaron Sorkin, creator of The West Wing, A Few Good Men, and a fantastic writer, often titled finale episodes of his shows, “What kind of day has it been?” I kept thinking about that question while writing this part of our last editorial. What kind of day has it been as a coeditor of JPAE? It has been a great day, an experience with some lessons learned.
First, if you edit a journal, pick a great colleague to do it with. Over the years, Bruce has been a solid foundation for JPAE, and my work for the journal has only been possible with his help. He has been a great mentor and friend throughout the process. Additionally, it takes an effective and supportive editorial board for a journal to be successful, and over the past six years, Bruce and I have been lucky to have such a board.
Second, our public administration, affairs, and policy field has many scholars who go above and beyond for research, teaching, and ensuring that the current and next generation of public servants improve government. I have been impressed with the scholars in our field who gave their time to help make submissions to JPAE better, and they did it kindly. True, occasionally, there have been some “R2s” with rude comments, but these are few and far between in our field compared to other disciplines. I am proud to be part of a field that understands kindness and support.
Third, research in all areas matters. We need to argue more for the scholarship of teaching and learning in our field. Programs at top universities should recognize the work as solid scholarship in the area of research and not something that a researcher does as an after-school job. Our field is responsible for linking theory with practice and training effective and fair administrators. This is done in the classroom, so we need to develop evidence-based approaches to teaching our students. This is done through SoTL. It needs to be valued more.
Lastly, in danger of being redundant, I return to my first lesson. Scholarly endeavors like editing this journal are only possible because of the people that we have as colleagues. We have been lucky to have great ones along the way. For all the reviewers, editorial board members, and authors we interacted with over the past six years, I thank you for making JPAE better and improving the teaching of public administration.
Bruce’s reflection and goodbye
Editing the Journal of Public Affairs Education has been an incredible privilege and a learning experience. I think it is fair to say that neither William nor I truly understood what we were in for when we took over as editors of the JPAE. The journal was going through a transition period, moving from a self-published journal to one that was published by Taylor & Francis.
What surprised me the most about being an editor was the perception within the field of public affairs regarding the validity of SoTL research. At the start of our first term, we surveyed the field to understand how our colleagues viewed the journal and what we could do to improve that perception. To our surprise, most respondents reported little value in SoTL work and would not consider it valid research in the tenure and promotion process. Even in my own experience, more faculty than I would have ever imagined told me that the journal was a waste of time and that I was tanking my career by joining the journal’s editorial team.
The teaching and training of future public administrators is at the heart of who we are as a field. But, we believe that the mission has gotten lost (see Farrell et al., Citation2022; Hall & McDonald, Citation2023; McDonald, Citation2023; Schwoerer et al., Citation2022; Stivers & McDonald, Citation2023). We acknowledge that engaging in traditional research is important, but so is SoTL research. SoTL work helps us improve the effectiveness of our classrooms and improves the student experience. In turn, this leads to better outcomes in the public organizations in which they will serve. Since the very beginning, all of our decisions, all of our actions, have been focused on improving the reputation of SoTL work. Not only did we want to encourage the work being done in the arena and elevate the best of that work, but we wanted to show that pedagogical-related work was important, that it matters, and that it should count as valid research.
And I believe we have succeeded. A look at the journal’s citation counts and publishing data will show that the work we published is being cited at increasingly high rates and that it is being used in the classroom. The look would also show that based on citation scores, the Journal of Public Affairs Education is now strongly a Q1 journal. I can confidently say that anyone who dismisses SoTL work does not care about the future of the field or their students because it has a place. It is okay if you do not engage in SoTL-related work, but if you do, always remember there is a group of us who will gladly stand beside you and support you along the way. The work you are doing matters.
As I write my final words as editor, I reflect on the experience of leading the journal. It has been the highlight of my career, and I can think of nobody else that I would have wanted to undertake this than William. William … you, my friend, are awesome. Thank you for your friendship and for going with me on this wild ride.
So long and thanks for all the fish …
Six years, and this is it … the end. We are excited about what the new editorial team, led by Sara Rinfret and Sarah Young, will bring to the journal. We have made significant progress in recent years regarding the status of the scholarship of teaching and learning in public affairs, and we have the utmost confidence that the new team will continue that movement.
As we say our goodbyes, we would like to express our sincerest appreciation for those who have helped us and the journal. The journal’s editorial board has been incredible in helping advise us and support the journal’s mission. We would also like to thank our editorial team, which has been indispensable, and we cannot give them enough praise. This includes Kendra Stewart, who has been serving as our international and engagement editor; Sean McCandless, our case studies editor; and Rachel Emas, our book review editor. We want to give a special thanks to Megan Hatch, our social media editor, who has spent the last several years doing a phenomenal job of promoting the journal and the scholarship of teaching and learning in public affairs. Last but certainly not least, we would like to thank Michaela Abbott, our editorial assistant. Without her, we would have undoubtedly been lost and never met any of our deadlines.
We want to end our goodbye with our own paraphrasing of T.S. Elliott: This is how the world ends. Not with a bang, but with an editorial. And so, with the immortal words of Anna Kendrick, we out …
Notes
1. Anything worth reading should come with its own playlist and this piece is no except. We highly encourage everyone to listen to our farewell playlist at: https://tinyurl.com/jpaegoodbye.
References
- Farrell, C., Hatcher, W., & Diamond, J. (2022). Reflecting on over 100 years of public administration education. Public Administration, 100(1), 116–128. https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12808
- Hall, J. L., & McDonald, B. D. (2023). Scholarly hypocrisy or apostasy in public administration: Preaching to the choir, or to an empty room? Public Administration Review, 83(4), 725–733. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13686
- Lodge, M. (2022). Editing public administration. Public Administration, 100(1), 12–16. https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12824
- McDonald, B., & Hatcher, W. (2018). From the editors. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 24(1), 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2018.1431462
- McDonald, B. D. (2023). The dark horse of public administration: The challenge of pedagogical research. Teaching Public Administration, 41(1), 3–10. https://doi.org/10.1177/01447394231159983
- Rhodes, R. A. W. (2022). A long and winding road: 25 years as editor. Public Administration, 100(1), 6–11. https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12810
- Schwoerer, K., Keppeler, F., Mussagulova, A., & Puello, S. (2022). CO-DESIGN-ing a more context-based, pluralistic, and participatory future for public administration. Public Administration, 100(1), 72–97. https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12828
- Stivers, C., & McDonald, B. D. (2023). Teaching public administration historically. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 29(3), 275–279. https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2023.2205805