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PRIMUS: Problems, Resources,and Issues in MathematicsUndergraduate StudiesPublication details, including instructions forauthors and subscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/upri20

Looking Back and LookingAheadBrian WinkelPublished online: 29 Oct 2010.

To cite this article: Brian Winkel (2010) Looking Back and Looking Ahead, PRIMUS:Problems, Resources, and Issues in Mathematics Undergraduate Studies, 20:8,721-723, DOI: 10.1080/10511970.2010.514842

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10511970.2010.514842

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PRIMUS, 20(8): 721–723, 2010Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLCISSN: 1051-1970 print / 1935-4053 onlineDOI: 10.1080/10511970.2010.514842

Looking Back and Looking Ahead

Brian Winkel

The lightning spark of the thought generated in the solitary mind awakensin another mind . . . Thomas Carlyle, Scottish essayist

Many years ago I was looking at a problem used by a colleague for his mathe-matics class and realized I wanted to add to it, make it more interesting (at leastto me), and go deeper into the setting under study. I was embodying the abovewords of Thomas Carlyle, the Scottish essayist, which I would later quote inthe first issue of PRIMUS—Problems, Resources, and Issues in MathematicsUndergraduate Studies as part of the reason for establishing the journal. I ratherenjoyed learning about what colleagues did in their teaching, as well as shar-ing my own ideas on creating problems and activities for students. The sharingmade me feel good, as others valued what I had created. It corroborated myown views and experiences of how I thought teaching was meant to be. WhenI learned of some new approach and tried it or a variation of it I grew as ateacher and a person. A seed was planted.

Around the same time I was at a Joint Mathematics Meeting and had timebetween events and in travel to think about my personal passion for teaching;trying new things all the time, sharing these ideas with others, and personallybenefitting from the efforts of others. I concentrated on the sharing of ideas andwondered how I could foster that sharing.

An idea came to me—I had already started two other journals from scratch:Cryptologia, now in its 33rd year, and Collegiate Microcomputer, which ran itscourse after some 13 years. At that time I was producing these two quarterlyjournals. I still had four months free! Why not start a third journal devotedto teaching undergraduate mathematics? It made sense to me! I knew it was“easy” to start a journal. You just write to some colleagues, tell them what youplan to do, invite them to contribute their ideas in papers and review ideas ofothers in the role of referee, and secure a contract with a printer. I then prepareto do a lot of work, including maintaining the mailing list, laying out the issues,managing the manuscript system, stuffing issues into envelopes with the helpof my two children, working with my wife to bring the issues to the bulk mailcenter, and managing the finances of a not-for-profit operation. I would have

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722 Winkel

to put up some money of my own, or rather with help from my supportivefather, but this venture was not about money either way—coming or goingto me. A new journal would meet the need for a forum to discuss the downto earth aspects of teaching, the “Here is what I did. Here is how I did it.Here is what happened.” By the time I had arrived home from the meeting itwas all in place, PRIMUS—Problems, Resources, and Issues in MathematicsUndergraduate Studies. I would create a quarterly journal devoted to all aspectsof teaching undergraduate mathematics.

For twenty years I then edited and produced PRIMUS with the volunteerand professional help of outstanding authors and referees and a fine group ofcolleagues on our Editorial Board. We attempted to offer readers a variety ofarticles concerning teaching mathematics to undergraduates; some were spe-cific, some were broad, all were worthy of sharing. We offered special issuesdevoted to such topics as seminars in mathematics, biology and mathematics,and faculty development. We offered articles rich with mathematics, but mostimportantly we offered ideas for teaching mathematics. Editors never reallyknow what takes in the minds of readers or how readers run with what theylearn, but we do know they appreciated what we offered as they kept comingback for more. The number of issues increased from four per year, to six peryear, and now to eight per year. Good ideas were flying all about us; many,many good ideas! The ideas and articles have kept coming in for twenty years,thanks to our contributors, referees, and Editorial Board members.

After turning over the production and subscription efforts for PRIMUS tothe esteemed publisher, Taylor & Francis, a few years ago, I was free to concen-trate on ideas and articles and their careful movement through our referee andediting process. I was able to form a supportive Editorial Board of colleagueswho actively contributed to the journal as authors and referees. I had foundCraig Bauer to take over editing Cryptologia and I set about finding editorialleadership for PRIMUS so I could assure the continuation of the journal. I hadtwo folks in mind, but I decided to see if the Editorial Board had suggestions orif there were volunteers. Lo and behold the two I had in mind emerged from theprocess by stepping up and saying, “I would like to contribute in this manner.”

Joanna A. Ellis-Monaghan of Saint Michael’s College in Colchester,Vermont, and Matthew Boelkins of Grand Valley State University in Allendale,Michigan, were appointed by the Editorial Board as Associate Editors at theJanuary 2010 Board meeting. Jo will assume the position of Editor-in-Chiefwith Volume 21 in 2011, while Matt will pick up the Editor-in Chief posi-tion after a suitable time period of serving as Associate Editor. Jo and Mattwill work with the Editorial Board to assure continuity of the journal and itsleadership with transitions to new associate editors in the future.

It has been a pleasure to serve as Editor these twenty years. It is truly athrill to see fresh ideas and efforts to communicate with others the excitementand enthusiasm that must be at the heart of what we do as educators in under-graduate mathematics. I always enjoyed reading every manuscript that came in

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and shepherding those accepted papers through the publication process. WhileI have told Jo and Matt that I will be there to help as needed, I look forward toreading the results of their efforts in the form of issue after issue of PRIMUSin my mailbox and on-line. I know you do too. So let us congratulate our newEditors, Joanna A. Ellis-Monaghan, Editor-in-Chief, and Matthew Boelkins,Associate Editor, and wish them well. Thank you.

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