2023 Journal of Management in Engineering End-of-Year Review

I was the editor of JME from 2000 to 2001. You become a journal editor for many reasons to include giving back to your profession and because you enjoy reading relevant research. As the editor, you must skim every paper that is submitted for suitability to be published and then assign the right reviewers. Those papers that pique your interest you will then take the time to read. Though reading good research is enjoyable, the most gratifying aspect of being an editor is cultivating relationships. You must cultivate and expand your professional network to find reviewers.

In writing this piece, I went back to my files and found a spreadsheet with a list of reviewers from 2000. Twenty-three years later as I scanned the list, I realized that many of these I can still call friends or at least professional acquaintances. Back then, JME was a group of dedicated civil engineers who believed that management was a key to the future of the profession. Globalization, the Internet of Things, digital economy, and technology have further validated the need for the products provided by JME to the engineering profession and society. Happy 40th anniversary!

It is hard to imagine now! Forty years ago, I was a young student just beginning my doctoral program at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio. My major professor, mentor, and friend, Professor Sam Minkarah (now deceased) introduced me to Mel Hensey (also since deceased), a civil engineer and management consultant in Cincinnati. He was also the inaugural editor of the newly launched ASCE Journal of Management in Engineering. Mel recruited me as a reviewer for his journal immediately. Subsequently, Professor Minkarah and I authored a few articles in the journal stemming from my graduate research.

I remain involved and committed to the mission of the journal to this day. The journal played an integral role in promoting and establishing management as an essential part of the profession of engineering. Obviously, the journal evolved and went through needed transformations in its aims and scope over the years due to advances in management theories and practices and in the field of information technology. I believe the Journal of Management in Engineering is truly a one-of-a-kind, nontraditional, and multidisciplinary publication avenue for authors that dare to push the envelope in engineering education, research, and practice. I am fortunate to have been a part of this journey along with my mentors, colleagues, and friends.

I congratulate the current editor in chief, Professor Young Hoon Kwak, and his team for elevating the Journal of Management in Engineering to one of the top ASCE journals. I wish him, along with his editorial team members, continued success in the years to come!

It was an honor to lead the Journal of Management in Engineering from January 2009 to December 2015 as the editor in chief. It was a small yet very effective editorial board. While the submission of papers to JME progressively increased during this time frame, we were constantly chipping at the response time, gradually cutting it down. At the same time, our impact factor also steadily increased. As a result, in agreement with the ASCE journals publication team, we decided to increase the frequency of the journal from quarterly to bimonthly.

The journal was established with an intent to attract papers from academia as well as industry that would reflect on all aspects of management in the field of civil engineering. In the spirit of this founding principle, our editorial board members would reach out to industry practitioners encouraging them to author or coauthor forum papers for the journal. In addition, during my tenure, a number of special issues were introduced on contemporary topics that were well subscribed by authors from around the world, further increasing the popularity of the journal. In response to the wide range of paper submissions, we revised the JME classification codes to include 10 categories (instead of six), with several subcategories that covered major areas of research, and requested the authors to identify the classification code for their papers to facilitate the review process.

Over the years, the journal has made much progress achieving a commendable impact factor. On the 40th anniversary of the journal, I wish continued success to the present editorial board to achieve greater heights and accolades for the Journal of Management in Engineering while maintaining its high standards.