About This Journal
Journal of the Graduate Research Center began publication in 1960 in conjunction with the formation of the Graduate Research Center, Inc (GRC). This separate corporation included prominent Dallas business and technology leaders as its trustees, and was created to support pure and applied science research at Southern Methodist University, and to promote the establishment of advanced graduate degree programs. Trustees of the Graduate Research Center donated funds to build the Science Information Center of the library system at SMU in support of better resources needed for developing doctoral degrees. In 1961, the organization became the Graduate Research Center of the Southwest and eventually the Southwestern Center for Advanced Studies, promoting doctoral degrees and research across the region.
An older publication series,
Field & Laboratory, was incorporated into the
Journal of the Graduate Research Center, which maintained the volume numbering scheme from its predecessor. Continuing in his role as editor of Field & Laboratory, Dr. Samuel W. Geiser, Professor of Biology and natural historian at SMU, became the first editor of the new journal. Claude C. Albritton, Jr., Professor of Geology, and Dean of the Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences, soon became the second and final editor. Dr. Edwin J. Foscue wrote the inaugural article for the
Journal of the Graduate Research Center. He was among the earliest faculty at SMU, a Geography professor, and the first editor of
Field & Laboratory. Most articles were authored by SMU faculty, some derived from thesis papers, and researchers from outside of SMU also contributed. The focus of the new journal was much broader across the sciences and humanities than the earlier journal. Topics ranged from biology, mathematics, statistics, physics, and geology to business and economics, geography, anthropology, and history. Longer publications, theme issues and even a book were featured.
