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vii acknowledgments Confidentiality prevents me from naming most of the people whose participation was essential to this study. Although the faculty who took part in this research must remain anonymous, they should not go unrecognized. Their words and experiences are the lifeblood of this book, and I thank them for the gift of their time, which is always in short supply. Confidentiality also prevents me from thanking the administrators at each research site who allowed me access to their campuses and provided assistance in developing a pool of potential participants. Their knowledge of their respective faculties was critical to accomplishing this work. I would also like to thank a number of individuals who were instrumental (in the most meaningful sense of the word) in bringing this study and this book to fruition. Bill Newell, professor of interdisciplinary studies at Miami University of Ohio and a foundational figure in the study of interdisciplinarity, encouraged me, invited me to one of his workshops, and provided a forum in which to conduct the exploratory focus group. Julie Thompson Klein, professor of humanities at Wayne State University and author of numerous works on interdisciplinarity, met with me and generously shared drafts of works in progress. Both of these experiences were central to the development of this study. Lois Voigt, who in her latest incarnation is a doctoral student at Loyola University Chicago, read this manuscript too many times. Maintaining, to my surprise, her good humor, she edited my writing, checked my organization, and questioned my excesses. I am very grateful for her diligence and her comforting presence. I am also thankful to Loyola University and the School of Education for funding the assistantships that provided me with so intelligent and generous a colleague. Joan Stark, professor emerita of the University of creating interdisciplinarity viii Michigan, was present when this book was but a thought. I have been graced with Joan’s guidance and unending support for many years and doubt that I can point to a professional accomplishment in the last ten years for which she is not in some way responsible. May she never retire from mentoring and may she never tire of me. A few other individuals deserve thanks for absorbing the shrapnel of my anxiety as I worked on this volume: my mother, Josephine Lattuca, who has no idea how soothing her voice can be; Ed Blucher, whose patience and intelligence always astound me; Gail Elden, who keeps me focused; and my most excellent colleagues at Loyola: Jennifer Grant Haworth, Terry E. Williams, and Terri Pigott. I thank everyone for their support and beg their indulgence on the next project. ...

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