A message from the editor-in-chief.

The Editorial Board of The Appraisal Journal is pleased to report that its introduction of award sponsorship opportunities for the publication has been well received.

The purpose of such sponsorships is to provide increased funding for the three annual awards for excellence in published articles, namely the Armstrong/Kahn, Swango, and Ratcliff Awards. As a result of this effort, the award winners announced in the upcoming Spring issue will receive $3,000 for each article. This is a three-fold increase in the amount of the awards, allowing us to attract and publish the finest articles on real estate valuation. We sincerely thank our sponsors for their support in advancing the publication's mission. An acknowledgement of each sponsor is shown on the Annual Article Awards description page (p. iv).

Also for the first time, The Appraisal Journal will be the subject of a panel discussion at the Appraisal Institute Annual Meeting on August 3, 2012, in San Diego. The session is entitled The Appraisal Journal: Its Mission, The Review Process, and Guidelines for Success in Getting Articles Published. Presenters will include Dan Swango, MAI, SRA, David Lennhoff, MAI, SRA, George Dell, MAI, SBA, and me. Panelists will discuss TAJ's mission, its awards, the review process, and guidelines for success. We are eager to expand potential authors' understanding of TAJ and its workings, with the goal of increasing the number of articles submitted for consideration.

As always, I urge you to provide us with your comments regarding TAJ. We are committed to the improvement of the publication. Your observations, critiques, and suggestions are central to this process.

Stephen T. Crosson, MAI, SRA

Editorial Board Chair and Editor-in-Chief

The Appraisal Journal