Tag Archives: University of Washington Press

$1,205,000 Mellon grant to expand the University Press Diversity Fellowship Program

The University of Washington Press, the MIT Press, Cornell University Press, the Ohio State University Press, University of Chicago Press, Northwestern University Press, and the Association of University Presses (AUPresses) join forces to expand the University Press Diversity Fellowship Program.

A four-year, $1,205,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has been awarded to the University of Washington Press to support the continued development and expansion of the pipeline program designed to diversify academic publishing by offering apprenticeships in acquisitions departments. This new grant will provide for three annual cycles of editorial fellows at six university presses: the University of Washington Press, the MIT Press, Cornell University Press, the Ohio State University Press, University of Chicago Press, and Northwestern University Press.

This new grant builds on the success of the initial 2016 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, which funded the first cross-press initiative of its kind in the United States to address the marked lack of diversity in the academic publishing industry. Graduates of the first fellowship program hold professional positions at university presses across the country, including at Columbia University Press, the MIT Press, University of Virginia Press, the Ohio State University Press, and the University of Washington Press. Additionally, for the four participating presses, the initial grant expanded applicant pools, improved outreach to underrepresented communities, created more equitable preliminary screening practices in hiring, and enabled dedicated attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion overall.

The 2016 grant also served as a catalyst for broader changes at the partner presses and within the AUPresses as a larger organization. “Diversity is one of AUPresses’ core values. As such, we are proud to partner in the expansion of this significant program,” says AUPresses Executive Director Peter Berkery. “Our participation in the original initiative over the last three years has led, not only to more inclusive programming choices at our annual conferences and webinars, but also to the formation of a Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, which will evolve into a Standing Committee to help us sustain momentum in this area of vital importance to our community, higher education, and the entire publishing industry.”

This new grant offers opportunities for more sustained engagement with issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion among the new partner presses and the university press community more broadly. “Continuing the fellowship program will enable us to focus on longer-term issues of retention and leadership development among the program’s participants,” says Larin McLaughlin, Editor in Chief of the University of Washington Press and principal investigator on the grant. “With this new grant, we want to provide the opportunity for new presses to participate in the program while benefitting from the experience of the original partner presses.”

Gita Manaktala, Editorial Director of the MIT Press, comments, “The fellows have inspired a strong sense of responsibility among partner presses, which have demonstrated this in several ways: by developing more inclusive press environments, by opening processes to welcome the fellows’ perspectives and input into the daily work of acquisitions, and by providing fellows with focused career advice for job placement and professional development.”

The first and second grants combined provide for a total of 30 fellows in six years, which will generate marked shifts in acquisitions staff across university presses not possible without this kind of dedicated funding.

Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Washington Mark Richards says, “At the University of Washington, we value and honor diverse experiences and perspectives and prioritize promoting access, opportunity, and justice for all. I’m excited about the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s investment in diversity and inclusion in transforming academic publishing, and delighted that UW Press is a leader in this area.”

Betsy Wilson, Vice Provost for Digital Initiatives and Dean of University Libraries, to whom the UW Press reports, says, “UW Libraries actively supports the university in sustaining diversity, creating inclusive experiences for the UW community, and confronting institutional bias and structural racism. This new grant augments our existing commitments and programs to equity and social justice as a world-class research university.”

For more information, please contact Larin McLaughlin, Editor in Chief, by calling (206) 221-4995 or emailing lmclaugh@uw.edu.

UW Press joins UW Libraries

SEATTLE, WA, February 21, 2018 – Starting March 1, 2018, the University of Washington Press will join the UW Libraries and report to the vice provost of digital initiatives and dean of University Libraries, Lizabeth (Betsy) Wilson.

Lizabeth (Betsy) Wilson (Credit: Cass Redstone)

The Press and the Libraries currently collaborate on a number of joint initiatives including exploration of digital publishing platforms, open access publishing, open educational resources development, and support for digital scholarship. The Press has also published a number of books in association with the Libraries including Rural China on the Eve of Revolution; Mary Randlett Portraits; Roots and Reflections: South Asians in the Pacific Northwest; and Shadows of a Fleeting World: Pictorial Photography of the Seattle Camera Club.

“The Press and the Libraries share a complementary mission and vision for the creation, dissemination, and preservation of knowledge,” said Wilson. “I am excited to welcome the Press to the Libraries.”

Nicole Mitchell, UW Press director, is equally enthusiastic about this new partnership. “My colleagues and I look forward to working more closely with the Libraries as we explore ways to support and make discoverable new forms of scholarship. We’re excited about the opportunities to learn from each other and share our expertise.”

Nicole Mitchell (Credit: Hayley Young)

The Press has for many years reported to the vice provost and dean of the UW Graduate School, and In recent years has expanded its publishing program, garnered many prestigious awards, and received major funding, including most recently significant grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation: one to establish the Mellon University Press Diversity Fellowship program and another to create, with UBC Press, a new model for multi-path digital works in Indigenous studies in collaboration with local communities.

“The future of scholarly communication creates a need to explore new models of publishing and authorship,” said Gerald (Jerry) Baldasty, provost and executive vice president of the UW. “A strengthened partnership between one of the nation’s leading research libraries and one of the oldest and most esteemed presses in the United States will engender an even deeper sharing of expertise and increased innovation.”

About the University of Washington Press
Established in 1920, the University of Washington Press supports the university’s research, education, and outreach missions by publishing important new work for an international community of scholars, students, and intellectually curious readers. As one of the largest book publishers in the Pacific Northwest, the Press is known for both its groundbreaking scholarly lists and broad range of regional books for general readers.About the University of Washington Libraries
The University of Washington Libraries is a network of 16 academic research libraries serving three campuses: Seattle, UW Bothell, and UW Tacoma, and is home to the largest library collection in the Pacific Northwest with over 9 million books, journals, and digital resources. The Libraries’ mission is to advance intellectual discovery and enrich the quality of life by connecting people with knowledge.Media Contacts:
Casey LaVela, Publicity Director, University of Washington Press, kclavela@uw.edu 206-221-4994
A.C. Petersen, Libraries Communications Officer, UW Libraries, acpete@uw.edu 206-543-9389

Andrew Berzanskis Named Senior Acquisitions Editor at the University of Washington Press

SEATTLE, WA, February 15, 2018—The University of Washington Press has named Andrew Berzanskis as senior acquisitions editor, effective March 1, 2018. Berzanskis has served as editor-at-large with the Press since August 15, 2017, and will continue working from Colorado and acquiring regional trade and social justice titles in his new role.

“We are very excited that Andrew is joining the Press,” says editor in chief Larin McLaughlin. “We’re so impressed by his extensive publishing experience in a wide range of fields, and are thrilled that he’ll be growing our lists in key areas.”

Berzanskis started his acquisitions career at the University of Georgia Press, where he acquired in areas including regional history and American studies and started the Environmental History and the American South series. He moved from there to Lynne Rienner Publishers, where he managed successful lists in sociology, criminal justice, and disability studies. Beginning in 2016, he served as editor-at-large at West Virginia University Press and acquired in environmental, literary, and regional studies.

“I look forward to joining such a talented and dedicated team,” Berzanskis says. “UW Press is a leader in books that drive the conversation about the environment, social justice, and challenges facing the region. We need smart, passionate, deeply informed books now more than ever.”

Media Contact:
Casey LaVela, Publicity Director
kclavela [at] uw edu | 206.221.4994

Michael O. Campbell Named New Marketing and Sales Director at the University of Washington Press

SEATTLE, WA, January 26, 2018 — The University of Washington Press has named Michael O. Campbell as the new marketing and sales director, effective February 6, 2018. Campbell, most recently the US sales manager at Lone Pine Publishing, will oversee sales and marketing strategies for UW Press as it expands its publishing program and international reach.

“Mike brings a wealth of industry knowledge and Pacific Northwest connections to our team,” says Nicole Mitchell, director of UW Press. “We are fortunate to have someone of his experience on staff as the Press heads into its next century of producing books that matter for a global and local community of intellectually curious readers and scholars.”

Campbell held senior sales and marketing roles across a range of trade, specialty, and academic publishers, including the University of Nevada Press, HarperCollins, Timber Press, and Workman Publishing. He is the recipient of PubWest’s 2013 President’s Award and 2017 Hall of Fame Award in recognition for his service and commitment to the organization and the publishing community.

“I’m thrilled to be joining a house of this caliber and returning to university press publishing,” Campbell says. “The Press’s upcoming centennial is a wonderful opportunity to market the quality and range of its titles, including its deep backlist. I’m a native of Washington State, so I’m especially pleased with the opportunity to work with local booksellers and show them the strength of our regional publishing.”

Media Contact:
Casey LaVela, Publicity Director
kclavela [at] uw [dot] edu | 206.221.4994

From the Desk of the Director: Knowledge and Facts Matter

With fall quarter now well underway, I thought I’d take a moment to update you on the latest news from the University of Washington Press.

It has been an especially busy time for me since I assumed the presidency of the Association of University Presses at our annual meeting this past June. Diversity and inclusion were pervasive themes at the conference this summer thanks in large part to our Mellon-funded University Press Diversity Fellowship Program, which was featured during the opening plenary, two panels, and a breakfast roundtable. Our first Mellon fellow, Niccole Coggins, is now an assistant editor on our permanent staff, and in early June we welcomed our second fellow, Mike Baccam. This is the first program of its kind in university press publishing and we are proud to be taking the lead in increasing diversity in our industry together with our partner presses at MIT, Duke, and Georgia.

To expand on this work, my first initiative as president of the Association was to create the new Diversity and Inclusion Task Force. I am also working on other initiatives, including forming an international working group. I’ve just returned from a board of directors meeting in Washington, DC, where I was also able to participate in a publishing workshop for doctoral and post-doctoral scholars (Kluge Fellows) currently researching a wide variety of topics at the Library of Congress.

Advocating for the value of university presses is one of my main duties as president. A recent piece in Publishers Weekly, which I coauthored with Association executive director Peter Berkery, discusses the importance of scholarship in the current political climate. During this time of “fake news” and “alternative facts,” university presses offer deeply informed, reliable discussions of pressing issues, including questions about climate change, disputes over the meaning of public monuments, and debates about the rights of refugees. As we launch University Press Week on the theme “#LookItUP: Knowledge Matters,” I find myself thinking back to Dan Rather’s words at our annual meeting in June where he told a room full of scholarly publishers: “Our country needs you and your work right now. . . . What you do matters.”

Throughout the year, we at UW Press provide dozens of opportunities to engage in informed discussions at public events with our authors. Please visit our events calendar for more information, and find us and other presses during UP Week online with the hashtag #LookItUP. We hope you’ll join the conversation.

With very best wishes,

Nicole F. Mitchell
Director, University of Washington Press
President, Association of University Presses 2017–2018

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Nicole Mitchell Assumes Presidency of University Presses’ Association

Credit: Hayley Young

The University of Washington Press Director Begins Term as 2017–2018 President

NEW YORK (August 17, 2017) — The Director of the University of Washington Press, Nicole Mitchell, began her one-year term as President of the Association of American University Presses (AAUP) on June 11, 2017. Mitchell assumed the role at AAUP 2017, the Association’s annual meeting in Austin, Texas. She is preceded by Darrin Pratt, Director of the University Press of Colorado.

As President, Mitchell looks forward to working with the Executive Director and Board of Directors on a number of organizational goals. In Austin, she announced that she wanted to focus on three major areas during the coming year: establishing a Diversity Task Force; forming a working group of non-US members to better understand the needs of international members; and, working with the Research Task Force to strengthen the case for the unique value and impact of university presses.

Nicole Mitchell has served as Director of the University of Washington Press since 2012.

Over the past five years, among other milestones, she has restructured the press, raised the press’s profile on the University of Washington campus and in the Seattle community, refreshed the press’s editorial program, and secured new funding for East Asian studies and work by Pacific Northwest writers.

“I am particularly proud of UW Press’s leadership role in establishing the Mellon-funded University Press Diversity Fellowship Program in partnership with Duke, Georgia, MIT, and the Association. I am also excited to be collaborating with the University of British Columbia Press and First Nations communities on a new multimedia digital publishing initiative, also recently funded by the Mellon Foundation,” said Mitchell.

Mitchell has previously served the Association on the Professional Development Committee (including a term as chair in 2009-2010), the Task Force on University Relations, the Nominating Committee, and through a previous term of service on the Association’s Board of Directors.

Mitchell started her career in scholarly publishing in 1983 as a Graduate Trainee at Cambridge University Press and soon became the press’s first Children’s Book Editor, helping to create and launch the imprint Cambridge Books for Children. Moving to the United States, she became the first full-time acquisitions editor at the University of Alabama Press (UAP). Seven years later, Mitchell was tapped to lead the press. During her tenure as director, she expanded Alabama’s publishing program, increasing sales by 50% and moving UAP from an AAUP Group 1 to Group 2 tier press.

In 2001, Mitchell was appointed Director of University of Georgia Press. During her ten years at Georgia, Mitchell led a staff of twenty-six, guiding the press’s editorial program as Editor in Chief, increasing sales, and establishing the press’s fundraising program by recruiting an influential Advisory Council. Mitchell also served on executive committee of the New Georgia Encyclopedia, a pioneering state-focused, online-only encyclopedia.

Mitchell holds a joint honors degree in Art History and French from the University of Bristol and a certificate in Management from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University.

“It is a great honor for me to be serving this Association as President. I have spent my entire career in university press publishing and look forward to giving back and advocating for an association that supports and nurtures high-quality scholarly publishing around the globe,” said Mitchell.

About the Association of American University Presses: The Association of American University Presses is an organization of over 140 international nonprofit scholarly publishers. Since 1937, AAUP advances the essential role of a global community of publishers whose mission is to ensure academic excellence and cultivate knowledge. The Association holds integrity, diversity, stewardship, and intellectual freedom as core values. AAUP members are active across many scholarly disciplines, including the humanities, arts, and sciences, publish significant regional and literary work, and are innovators in the world of digital publishing.

About the University of Washington Press: Established in 1920, the University of Washington Press supports the research, education, and outreach missions of the University of Washington by publishing peer-reviewed scholarship for an international community of students, scholars, and intellectually curious readers. The press is known for groundbreaking lists in critical ethnic studies; Native American and Indigenous studies; Asian American studies; Asian studies; anthropology; art history and visual culture; environmental studies; women’s, gender, and sexuality studies; and U.S. history, among other fields.

University of Washington Press Blog

The University of Washington Press is the nonprofit book and multimedia publishing arm of the University of Washington.