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Ross W. Green

Dear Readers

The release of the fourth edition of the Hobart and William Smith Colleges Public Affairs Journal comes at a very exciting time for this country in light of the presidential and certain state and local elections. With these elections comes a unique and refreshing atmosphere in which new ideas emerge for discussion, old issues of the past resurface for debate, and current policy is analyzed in new and interesting ways.

To further enliven and enrich the dialogue created by this exciting time, the Public Affairs Journal provides a forum for the presentation of a diverse selection of pieces. The works published in this edition cross traditional disciplinary boundaries, and range from a discussion of aphrodisiacs to an analysis of the Press-Pulse Model of extinction to a firsthand examination of Arab-American relations to a study of the morality of Harris V. McRae. I am also excited about the PAJ’s other featured articles, which include a look into education policy in America, the nitrogen cycle, the airline industry, and the environment from a conservative’s perspective.

These submissions are a collection of the work of students from Rice University, McGill University and HWS as well as from faculty at the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Science and HWS’ Geoscience department. This eclectic group of pieces is nicely introduced by Susan Page, currently the Washington Bureau chief of USA TODAY. It is truly an honor to have her writing grace our pages, and I urge you to take advantage of this opportunity to read such a well-respected journalist’s thoughts and reflections on the election and current events.

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Dear Readers

It is with great pleasure that I introduce you to the third edition of the Hobart and William Smith Colleges Public Affairs Journal. This edition is of particular importance for many reasons, but perhaps the most significant aspect of the third edition is our continued commitment to open dialogue about civic engagement and public policy by beginning a bi-annual release of the Journal. In this sense, releasing a new edition twice a year instead of just once should allow readers and writers to analyze a wider array of ideas, thus allowing for a more engaged and more informed debate about public affairs.

For this edition, we invited submissions from a diverse community of institutions. Between these covers lies the work of students from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Columbia University, and, of course, Hobart and William Smith Colleges. To cap off this wonderful array of diverse pieces, an introduction by Adam Nagourney, a journalist who primarily covers U.S. politics for The New York Times, sheds light on the role of journalism in the public realm.

On behalf of the Public Affairs Journal staff, I would like to invite you to probe the contents of the Journal, and examine, question, and discuss the issues presented in the articles. Beginning an informed debate about public affairs, as is the primary goal of the Journal, can empower us all to contribute in meaningful ways to the future.

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Dear Electronic Readers,

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to not only the second edition of the Hobart and William Smith Colleges Public Affairs Journal, but also to the inaugural electronic version of the Journal. In this vein, the main purpose of this website is to encourage meaningful discourse about pressing public policy issues of our time by means of an electronic forum in which all readers can offer thoughtful comments.

Now, perhaps more than ever before, the need for open and honest discussions about the pressing issues of our time is of great political, social, and cultural imperative. This easy to navigate electronic scholarly forum should extend the bounds of the Journal, and open up new avenues of discussion with students and faculty from around the nation.

Indeed, we truly all live in an extraordinary age of technology! So without any further delay, it is with great pride that I present to you the first electronic edition of the Public Affairs Journal.

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