Photo: Alonso Nichols

THE EDITORIAL WE

Our Makeover

Like a good marriage, the relationship between a magazine and its readers needs to be refreshed now and then. We’ve laughed and cried together, we’ve won big awards together, and we’ve achieved something close to mutual satisfaction (ninety-two percent of readers rate Tufts Magazine “good” or “excellent,” and Tufts Magazine rates its readers even higher than that). But the magazine has been coming to you in the same format for eight years. It’s time we did something crazy, like go on a Nordic cruise together.

In that spirit, the editors and designers of Tufts Magazine have decided to shake things up. And we’re taking our cues from you.

Close to six thousand readers answered the survey we sent out last spring. You told us you wanted to learn more about faculty research. You gave thumbs-up to articles on science and health and on public service. You expressed keen interest in cultural matters like art, entertainment, and books. And you said you wanted more Tufts history and nostalgia, as well as more news about the university. To no one’s surprise, you held Class Notes and profiles of your fellow Jumbos to be indispensable.

Your wish is our command. We’ve redesigned Tufts Magazine from top to bottom to give you more of what you want, in a form that makes everything easier to find. Instead of coming at you in fire-hose-like profusion, articles are now grouped by subject into four sections, each a mini-magazine within a magazine:

DISCOVER. Our new health, science, and technology section presents the work of researchers and caregivers, both at Tufts and among our alumni. Here you’ll find health tips, idea-driven essays, and no shortage of cute animals.

ACT. This section embodies the “active citizenship” for which Jumbos are famous—that drive to solve problems and engage with the world, whether through public service, diplomacy, humanitarian work, entrepreneurship, or business leadership.

CREATE. Anybody who shapes or observes culture, broadly defined, might pop up in this section. Look for artists, musicians, filmmakers, designers, actors, historians, theologians, sociologists, and authors of all sorts. The old “Creations” department (notices of books and other productions) is here, renamed “Mixed Media.”

CONNECT. This is all about you and Tufts—your memories of the place, your role as an alum, and opportunities to connect with your classmates, and with your alma mater. It’s home to Class Notes and “The Big Day” (weddings and unions).

We’ve made other changes as well. Knowing how busy you are, we’ve shortened our longest articles and increased the number of brief items and “brighteners.” We’ve dispersed the columns among the four sections instead of lumping them together, as in the old “Think Tank.” And before you read a word, you’ll notice our fresh new look—with a greater variety of fonts, a color scheme to match the new four-section concept, more fun with captions and portraits, and other novel touches.

So what do you think? Are we good for another eight years?

—DAVID BRITTAN
EDITOR