By the time you read this sentence it will be close to, if not, the beginning of a new year. Glasses will be raised, resolutions will be made, and calendars will be tossed in the trash.
But the transition from one year to the next should invite some reflection upon what we've done in the past 365 days and beyond. And, as the year draws to a close, we would do well to give thanks for the decisions and traditions that brought us to where we are today.
When the dial on the clock passes twelve and we hear the bells chime, we are also reminded that we must make plans for the future.
As the new editor for Wisconsin People & Ideas, I would like to take this opportunity to not only introduce myself, but to also let our Wisconsin Academy members know that they can continue to depend on the magazine to bring them the best and brightest our state has to offer. This means that we will scour this state to bring you what Wisconsin Academy founder William Hoyt calls, "every class of searchers after knowledge."
While it is true that many of these people are found in our state's public and private universities, some are not. We will welcome every class to our pages. It isn't populism that guides this imperative. Instead, it's the notion that the Academy has always been the meeting place for the exploration of ideas: no gate or wall shall keep out those with a thirst for inquiry. To draw out these searchers, Wisconsin People & Ideas must be as smart as it is contemporary, and together we can make this magazine the forum for intelligent discussion and creative thought. (Let's face it, intellectualism is not only back in style: it's downright sexy.)
So gather 'round, ye unrepentant thinkers, and sip from the brother's—and sister's—cup that is Wisconsin People & Ideas. Cheers.
