Kristine M. Bettin is the new editor-in-chief of UMRA’s online journal, JOIE. She was appointed by a unanimous vote of the UMRA Board during its January 2021 meeting.

JOIE—the Journal of Opinions, Ideas & Essays—was launched by UMRA over a decade ago for publishing articles by U of M faculty and staff, current or retired. Articles are posted on the University Digital Conservancy, which provides free public access and long-term preservation of works created at the University. 

JOIE’s profile dimmed in recent years, with few new articles being added, but readers know about it. Hundreds of JOIE articles are read and downloaded each month.

Kris Bettin retired from the University (and joined UMRA) in 2016 after 42 years in the biomedical field. She began her work as a researcher and has 27 academic articles to her credit. In 1999, she decided to switch fields and was hired as the coordinator for the then-new undergraduate neuroscience program at the University. From there she moved into her final position as executive assistant to the head of the Department of Neuroscience. Included in her many duties were reading and editing material written by faculty members.  She joined UMRA in 2016.

Her recent discovery of JOIE’s need for a new editor-in-chief spurred her to volunteer to work on improving the journal’s visibility, increase its readership, and grow its treasure trove of varied and interesting articles.  

—Will Craig, UMRA Board member