In their 2015 editorial for the inaugural issue of the International Journal of Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education (IJRUME), founding editors Karen Marrongelle, Chris Rasmussen, and Michael Thomas described the many people and stakeholders who contributed to the creation of the journal, likening it to the birth of a baby. They reflected on the previous decade of research in undergraduate level mathematics education, noting that findings from this important area of research were dispersed across journals rather than having a central home. They articulated the need for a dedicated journal that would focus exclusively on research related to postsecondary contexts in mathematics education. They were also motivated by the growth of the international community who focused on undergraduate level mathematics education, citing in particular groups centered in the United States (the Special Interest Group of the Mathematical Association of America, SIGMAA, on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education, RUME), in the Southern Hemisphere (the DELTA conference on the Teaching and Learning of Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics), and in Europe (a then recently established Thematic Working Group created in 2011, specifically devoted to University Mathematics Education at the biennial Congress of European Research in Mathematics Education, CERME) which laid the foundations for launching the International Network for Didactic Research in University Mathematics, INDRUM). In light of the growing international community and the need for a dedicated journal, the founding editors stated that “the vision for IJRUME is that it will become the central, premiere international journal dedicated to university mathematics education research” (Marrongelle et al., 2015, p. 1). As we now, in turn, reflect back on this first decade of IJRUME’s existence, we are delighted that their vision for IJRUME is being realized.

These first 10 years of IJRUME have seen both growth and transitions. The field of research in undergraduate mathematics education has certainly seen substantial growth. In Europe, we see growth in the following ways: the University Mathematics Education Thematic Working Group at CERME started with 21 paper presentations in 2011 to a maximum of 47 paper presentations in 2017 and is stabilized to about 30–40 paper presentations since then. Additionally, the activity of this group led to the creation of the INDRUM network, with conferences largely held in Europe up to now. 48 paper presentations took place in INDRUM2016 in Montpellier (France), whereas the coming INDRUM2024 in Barcelona (Spain) received 109 paper submissions. The RUME conference in the United States has also seen record numbers, with over 400 attendees at the 2024 conference and dozens of papers are now a standard part of the programme at the DELTA conferences. The growth in the field is also visible in the number of specialized compendiums that include now a chapter focusing on mathematics education research at the undergraduate level (e.g., Cai, 2017; Gutierrez et al., 2016; Pepin et al., 2023), as well as books that have focused on undergraduate mathematics education (e.g., Biehler et al., 2022; Durand-Guerrier et al., 2021).

IJRUME itself has also grown in notable ways, with submissions quadrupling since 2014! In 2021, IJRUME became indexed in Scopus, in the first quartile, and the impact factor has grown to 1.5 in 2022. In addition to such quantitative measures, we have also seen a general broadening of topics and shifting of trends, as the journal seeks to reflect ways in which the field itself grows and develops. We continue to aim to reflect the international community, our authors submit papers from countries all over the world and we proudly participated in the Anti-Racist Editorial Practices Working Group initiative launched in 2020. Over the past several years, IJRUME has published six special issues, each of which represents current topics and areas of interest; each special issue included a team of Guest Editors who worked diligently with a range of international authors and brought invaluable, state-of-the-art perspectives to the journal.

3(1) Oberwolfach Papers on Research on Mathematics Education in Undergraduate Study Programs

4(1) Select Papers from the First International Network for Didactic Research in University Mathematics (INDRUM) conference

7(2) Mathematics in/for Engineering Education

8(2) Calculus at the intersection of institutions, disciplines and communities

9(1) The Teaching and Learning of Definite Integrals

9(3) Bafflement in an Inquiry-based College Mathematics Classroom

IJRUME has also seen some notable transitions in its editorial team. The founding editors served for five years before passing the editor-in-chief torch to Ghislaine Gueudet and Elena Nardi in 2019, and Elise Lockwood in 2021. In 2024, the third generation of our editorial team began, as Alejandro S. González-Martín succeeded Ghislaine. Alongside editorial team transitions, the makeup of the dominant themes in IJRUME papers has been shifting too, with equity, diversity, and inclusion as well as affect-focused papers making an increasing presence. We are seeing similar growth in papers (and Special Issues) focused on the teaching and learning of mathematics across disciplines and we are excited about the expanding breadth of theories and methodologies deployed in the papers we receive. A new section on Research Commentaries was introduced in 2019 and the Book Reviews section – ably steered by Lara Alcock, then Greg Oates and now Igor’ Kontorovich – has been turning a spotlight on key volumes in the field. Over the past decade, we have also mourned the passing and celebrated the work of influential University Mathematics Education figures who had lent their expertise and clout to IJRUME in its inaugural years, including Anna Sierpinska, Ed Dubinsky, and John Selden.

As the founding editors noted ten years ago, a birthing process takes the support of many. We echo this sentiment, and we could not envision IJRUME’s success without the dedication and support of numerous colleagues across the globe. One group of indispensable supporters has been the Editorial Board, who review a large volume of papers, participate in editorial board meetings, and contribute to conversations about the journal’s current and future directions. We also would not be able to function without the reviewers, who give generously of their time and expertise, and without the authors, whose ideas we feel privileged to learn about and help share with the field. We look back on the last ten years with gratitude, and we look forward with eager anticipation to seeing what the field and our authors will bring in the coming years.