Deadline Set for Submissions to the Journal of Service-Learning in Higher Education

Published on under 2012 / News

Manuscripts must be in by March 15 for Spring Publication

 

BATON ROUGE – A March 15, 2012 deadline has been set for manuscripts to be considered for publication in the inaugural edition of the Journal of Service-Learning in Higher Education (JSLHE).  The University of Louisiana System launched this subscription-free online publication in the fall to encourage academic research about service-learning.  The international, peer-reviewed journal can be accessed at www.ulsystem.edu/JSLHE.

“Many people confuse service-learning with volunteerism, but in reality there is a strong academic component involved with service-learning.  College and university students are taking what they learn in the classroom and applying it in real-world situations while volunteering in their communities.  This new journal is a way for practitioners and scholars to share successful methodologies and pedagogical approaches not just in our system but throughout academia,” said UL System President Randy Moffett.

JSLHE is an outgrowth of collaboration between all nine universities in the University of Louisiana System and managed by the UL System’s Service-Learning Council.  David Yarbrough, Associate Professor of Child and Family Studies and Dean of Community Service at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, serves as the journal’s Executive Editor.

“The interest we have received from across the country since the launch of the journal has been overwhelming.  There is certainly a need for more academic publishing outlets that showcase the value and rigor of service-learning,” said Yarbrough.  “With several manuscripts currently under review and more expected, I anticipate a rich and diverse inaugural edition this spring.”

Four section editors have been appointed to assist Yarbrough.  They are Morris Coats, Professor of Economics at Nicholls State University; Steven Gruesbeck, Instructor of Psychology and Director of Service-Learning at Northwestern State University; Sandra Hill, Head of the Department of English at the University of Louisiana at Monroe; and Jackie Tisdell, Assistant Vice President of Communications at the University of Louisiana System.

Members of the JSLHE Review Board are diverse in academic disciplines and institutional representation.  They are:

  • Rory Bedford, Director of Service-Learning at Grambling State University;
  • Michael Buckles, Head of the Department of Performing Arts and Associate Professor of Music at McNeese State University;
  • Nancy Darland, Professor of Nursing at Louisiana Tech University;
  • Tena Golding, Director of the Center for Faculty Excellence and Professor of Mathematics at Southeastern Louisiana University,
  • Marybeth Lima, Director of the Center for Community Engagement, Learning, and Leadership at Louisiana State University;
  • Mike McCullough, Director of the Institute for Civic Engagement at the University of Tennessee at Martin;
  • Kenneth Reardon, Director of the Graduate Program in City and Regional Planning at the University of Memphis;
  • Stuart Stewart, Executive Director of Louisiana Campus Compact;
  • Shirley Theriot, Director of the Center for Community Service Learning at the University of Texas at Arlington; and
  • Shannon O’Brien Wilder, Director of the Office of Service-Learning at the University of Georgia.

The online journal is being housed by Simon Fraser University through the Public Knowledge Project’s Open Journal Systems.  This is to ensure a streamlined submission, review, and publishing process with sustainability.

“It is our hope that the Journal of Service-Learning in Higher Education becomes not just a place to publish, but also a place to learn what is working and lead to prolific experiential learning in higher education,” said Yarbrough.

-ULS-

ABOUT THE UL SYSTEM: The University of Louisiana System is the largest higher education system in Louisiana enrolling about 94,000 students at Grambling State University, Louisiana Tech University, McNeese State University, Nicholls State University, Northwestern State University, Southeastern Louisiana University, the University of Louisiana  at Lafayette, the University of Louisiana at Monroe, and the University of New Orleans.