[The Montana Professor 1.1, Winter 1991 <http://mtprof.msun.edu>]
[George Madden, editor
Eastern Montana College]
The Montana Professor is planned as a quarterly journal designed to serve as a forum for the professors of the Montana University System (MUS).
Separated by long Montana miles and by the fragmented structure of the MUS, we, the faculty, are too often unaware of one another. We are thus deprived of the benefits of the synergistic effects of shared scholarship within and among the disciplines. When we do have the opportunity to share with kindred spirits, it is most often at regional, national, or international conferences. These are, of course, invaluable experiences made essential by the relative isolation of this state. The Montana Professor seeks to augment this with an opportunity to share scholarship within the state.
Our unawareness of each other has another deleterious effect: it causes us to be less effective than we should be in helping to shape the management and direction of higher education in this state. Despite the notable achievements of some of the faculty on some of the campuses, e.g., the work of the University Teachers Union at UM in the last round of salary negotiations, it seems clear there is a crucial need for some vehicle for the faculty to use to exert some influence on the course of events in higher education in the state--not just on collective bargaining issues but on a wide range of issues involving any aspect of the quality of life in our times. We intend The Montana Professor as a means for the MUS faculty to voice their views on any issue where the informed opinion of scholars may make a difference.
The publication will endeavor to maintain high standards of scholarship and an open, forthright style in dealing with issues. In these days of an almost insufferable amount of "doublespeak" in the popular media, we hope to provide an alternative where open differences are openly debated but not personalized.
The idea for the creation of The Montana Professor was first proposed to a meeting of the Council of Faculty Organizations in February of 1990. The suggestion came from representatives from Eastern Montana College and met with the approval of those present. The EMC delegation was urged to go ahead and implement the idea. The original intent was to have representatives from each campus take part in the planning process but due to all those pressures that afflict (or bless) the lives of MUS faculty members, it soon became apparent that some less broadly representative but perhaps more functional group would have to take the initiative to get the project off the ground. The current editors and staff members are that group. While we have been able to secure some volunteers from other campuses to serve on the editorial board for future issues, for this inaugural issue the editorial work has been done entirely on the campus of EMC. The result is that there is a decided tilt toward contributions from EMC. We trust the rest of the MUS faculty will recognize this as a product of circumstance, not intent. Better balance will come.
During its first year (AY 1990-91) the journal is being published by The Faculty Association of Eastern Montana College and the Montana Federation of Teachers.
Because the goal of this publication is to serve as a forum reflecting specifically the interests of the Montana professoriate, priority will be given to submissions by members of the MUS faculty although submission from any origin will be considered. We especially solicit previously unpublished articles which have already been presented at regional, national, or international conferences. Submissions should state the author's name, department or discipline, institutional affiliation, and the name, date, and place of the conference (if any) at which it was presented. Response time will depend on the number and efforts of the volunteer reviewers yet to be named. We would hope to keep response time under two months. Articles accepted may be returned with recommendations for editing for clarity, length, or additional information. Any article published is the property of the author and no restrictions will be made on later publication in any other journal, collection, Festschrift, or book.
Articles from any faculty member in any discipline or institution will be considered for publication and may be written in English or any of the modern languages taught within the MUS. Any style is acceptable but the social science (APA) style is preferred as being briefer and more easily usable. The Montana Professor will publish articles, opinion pieces, and an occasional cartoon or poem. No anonymous material will be used. Letters to the editor may be edited for considerations of brevity, libel, or style.
Editor: George Madden, Ed. Foundations, EMC
Associate Editors: JoAnn Meide, Library, EMC
Kathleen Hall, Library, EMC
Contributing Editor: William Plank, Modern Language & Literature, EMC
Staff Writer: Elizabeth Thompson, Grad Student, EMC
[The Montana Professor 1.1, Winter 1991 <http://mtprof.msun.edu>]