Naples, Florida – The Association of American University Presses honored Naomi Pascal, Editor-in-Chief at University of Washington Press, with the first annual Constituency Award. The inaugural celebration was held during the AAUP Annual Meeting in Naples, Florida.
The Constituency Award was created by the AAUP Board to be given to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to university press publishing, demonstrating their continuing commitment to excellence in publishing and to the enrichment of American scholarly and cultural life.
At the time of the meeting, Pascal had been an active member of the scholarly publishing community for close to forty years. Previous to her time at University of Washington Press, where she arrived in 1953, Pascal served as an editor first at Vanguard Press and then at the University of North Carolina Press. Over the years, she developed major lists in Native American art and culture, Asian American studies, Jewish studies, music, and science. “Her authors, who number literally in the thousands, can testify to her superior editorial skills as constructive critic, confidante, and frequently as collaborator,” wrote one nominator.
Pascal had also been an active member of the larger scholarly publishing community. She served as a member of the Board of Directors and on numerous committees, frequently delivering papers and talks at various meetings. She was one of the founding editors of Scholarly Publishing and, at the time of the award, had written more articles for its pages than anyone else. Pascal worked as a panellist and reviewer for the National Endowment for the Humanities, served as a non-fiction judge for various conferences and competitions, and worked with the library community, often as a copyright consultant.
After receiving the 1991 Constituency Award, Pascal continued as Editor-in-Chief at Washington for eleven more years, retiring in the summer of 2002.
Read more about the history of the Constituency Award and see its complete Honor Roll.