Introduction

January 2025 marked a new era for Rural Sociology when Kathy Brasier, Leif Jensen, and Elizabeth Ransom became Co-Editors of the journal, Amanda McMillan Lequieu became Book Review Editor, and Ellie Martin became Managing Editor. As new Co-Editors, we begin by thanking Carol Ward for her able stewardship of the journal over the past 4 years, graciously serving well beyond her original term to the benefit of all. We also thank Jessica Schad, Tim Slack, Jeffrey Jacquet, Candace May, Stephanie Teixeira, and Erin Whiting for their completed service as Associate Editors, and to all who reviewed articles over the past 4 years. Rural Sociology thrived under the intellectual leadership of Carol Ward and her dynamic team. Staying on as Associate Editor is Weston Eaton, who is now joined in this role by Shelley Clark, Maki Hatanaka, David Peters, Diego Thompson, and Jack Zinda. Together we will work hard to maintain and enhance the journal's vital contribution to rural social science in the years ahead. Although change is constant, its depth and pace are variable. January 2025 also seemingly marked an era of profound and rapid change that promises to impact rural people and places in the United States and globally. This new era is also seeing seismic shifts in the academic contexts that shape the ability of rural sociologists to conduct new research that is greatly needed. Ironically, some of this new research will need to focus on the broader implications of the very same social forces impacting the research community. Skepticism and even pockets of distrust of the academy are not new. What is new is that in the first months of our new Editorship a popular devaluation of the academic enterprise exploded onto the national scene and has been manifest in attacks on educational institutions, the cancellation of research grants, the elimination of entire grant programs, the real and threatened assault on U.S. government-supported gathering of data used by rural sociologists, and calls to expunge terminology (e.g., “status”) that is the bread and butter of our discipline. What is to be done? During our editorship, our guiding principles will be no different from those of our predecessors. We will publish peer-reviewed work of the highest quality. Whether empirically qualitative, quantitative, or a blend, we seek papers that probe compelling questions of significance to rural sociology, are embedded in relevant literature, use rigorous and appropriate research methods, are logically flawless, and engagingly presented. We also welcome theoretical scholarship that promises to push rural sociology forward. These principles are not new. However, to meet the challenges of our time, our vision for Rural Sociology is to be a source of reliable evidence and new perspectives that can enhance public policy, inform healthy public debate, and promote citizen engagement. In so doing, we aspire to position the journal and our discipline to provide a robust understanding of the implications for rural people and places of the myriad emerging issues of concern, including but not limited to catastrophic climate events, mass migration, rising inequality, political extremism, and the rise of AI and misinformation. In short, we seek to enhance the translational impact of Rural Sociology. To that end, working with Wiley, the current publisher of the journal, we are introducing Research Notes as a new option for publishing our work. Research Notes will be shorter articles on a finding or methodological aspect of the research process within the journal's scope. Research Notes might highlight improved research methods/design in the field, extend or update previously published research, identify newly available or revised data sources, and/or bring novel research issues to the attention of the journal's readers. Research Notes will be shorter articles (not exceeding 4000 words) and will enjoy an expedited review process. Recognizing the pressing issues confronting rural spaces and places is vast, we also invite proposals for special issues. Proposals should briefly describe the focus and significance of the proposed special issue, any dominant themes to be addressed, how the special issue will engage with the aims and scope of the journal, and the name(s) and contact details of the guest editor(s) overseeing the special issue. Proposals should be submitted to the Co-Editors, and additional information can be found on the Wiley website. In closing, we hope as Co-Editors that the journal continues to be a resource for both scholars and practitioners working on topics important for rural people and places. While change is constant, the journal has a long history of offering theoretically informed and empirically grounded scholarship. We will continue this mission to ensure Rural Sociology remains a critical outlet for the highest quality research in our discipline. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.