Letter from the Editor: Change in Editorship
I have informed the Gallaudet University Press that I intend to resign as editor of Sign Language Studies effective December 31, 2008. The Press plans to name a new editor by the end of 2007 so as to provide time for an orderly transition. Accordingly, the Press invites applications and nominations for the position of editor of Sign Language Studies, to be addressed to Ivey Wallace at Gallaudet University Press, Denison House, Gallaudet University, Washington, DC 20002, or ivey.wallace@gallaudet.edu. Applicants should be published scholars in one or more of the following areas: deaf studies, sign language linguistics, anthropology or sociology of deaf communities, deaf history. A terminal degree in a relevant discipline and previous editorial experience are preferred, and individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing are especially encouraged to apply. The position carries a modest stipend. Gallaudet University Press reserves the right to make a final decision concerning the editorship.
Carrying forward Bill Stokoe's work for the past eight years through the editing of Sign Language Studies has been an honor and a privilege, and I would like to thank all those who have made it possible: the numerous scholars who have submitted manuscripts or given their time and effort by reviewing the work of others, members of the editorial board, but most especially Ivey Wallace and Deirdre Mullervy of the Gallaudet University Press whose efforts, I believe, have given us a journal that we can all be proud of.
Transition
On February 3, 2007, Michael Karchmer retired after a long and distinguished career as a researcher, scholar, administrator, teacher, and all-around Renaissance man at Gallaudet University. He began his 31 years at Gallaudet in the post of research scientist at what was [End Page 260] then called the Office of Demographic Studies (ODS), and he later became associate dean for the Gallaudet Research Institute and dean of the Graduate School and Research. For some years he was a full- time faculty member in the Department of Educational Foundations and Research before finishing his Gallaudet career as director of the Gallaudet Research Institute.
He has been a prolific researcher in areas concerning the education of deaf children and the author of numerous important studies, including several published in this journal. In recognition of his many contributions to the field, he was given the Edward Fay Award by the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf (CEASD) in 2005.
Michael's many friends at Gallaudet will also remember that he was instrumental in bringing the Deaf Way Conference and Festival into being in 1989. Of particular interest here was his involvement in the creation of the Gallaudet University Press Institute and in the planning for each of its conferences, including the Revolutions in Sign Language Studies conference of 2006 and the April, 2007 sesquicentennial celebration of the founding of Gallaudet on Kendall Green. We wish him well in all of his future endeavors.
Interview with I. King Jordan
This letter is followed by an interview with I. King Jordan, the first deaf president of Gallaudet University. The interview was conducted in April of 2006, before the protest and period of acrimony that surrounded the appointment of his successor. It is intended as a statement for the historical record, concerning his epoch-making presidency, by Dr. Jordan himself. We have agreed that it should be printed here without amendment or comment.
Sincerely,
