Letter to the Editor: Former editor says farewell

By now some of you may have noticed or heard that I am no longer at Pacific University. After seven mostly wonderful years working at the university, I have moved on to pursue the next phase of my work life, enjoy some downtime and work on personal writing projects.

I just want to thank the entire campus community for the many kindnesses, the many great conversations, the encouragement, ideas and constructive criticism I received throughout the years. I am particularly grateful for all the support shown as I worked to expand the breadth, quality and reach of the Pacific magazine, which I edited these past three and a half years. Its success was due largely to the dedication and creativity of my colleagues in University Relations, the encouragement of alumni and the strong interest shown by students, faculty and staff. Its continued quality — or lack of it — will also depend on support and funding from the upper administration, and the hiring of competent, creative editors who are given enough freedom to develop the project.

During my tenure as editor, our surveys revealed not only a strong preference for continuance of a print magazine, but indicated that the magazine was the top source of campus news for alumni. Surveys also showed that significant numbers of readers — not just alumni, but all readers — contributed financially, attended an event or otherwise participated in a campus event due to something they read in the magazine. Readers also indicated interest in not only alumni news, but activities of students and faculty, campus initiatives and wider world issues such as healthcare and the environment. In these tough economic times, it makes more sense than ever to have a strong, thoughtful, in-depth piece going out to our constituents — something that represents the verve, accomplishment and quality of the university itself.

My Pacific years have reinforced more than ever my belief that higher education is one of the most powerful forces for positive change in our troubled world. When you have the opportunity to work with Pacific’s students, faculty and staff, you get the very real sense that such change is happening right before your eyes!

So, I remain a strong supporter of Pacific and its mission. It was a real privilege to work at “the little college on the prairie” as I often called it. Best wishes and I hope to see you around!