The AAUP was shocked by the unexpected announcement by University of Missouri system president Timothy Wolfe of the planned closure of the University of Missouri Press. The Press’s 54-year history is a storied one, including the landmark publications of The Collected Works of Langston Hughes and the Complete Sermons of Ralph Waldo Emerson, the prestigious series “Mark Twain & His Circle,” and an ongoing commitment to publishing works of significance to its Missouri home. The shortsighted decision to close an experienced publishing center during a time of expansion in scholarly communications rather than to creatively benefit from the invaluable resource of a widely respected university press is one we hope the University of Missouri will reconsider.
AAUP is seeking more information from the Press and the University. Please refer to some of the news coverage for what details are currently available. A Facebook page “Save the University of Missouri Press” has been launched and is garnering support.