The Association of American University Presses is proud to announce that Seetha Srinivasan, Director, University Press of Mississippi, is the recipient of the 2002 Constituency Award. The award was established in 1991 to honor staff at member presses who have demonstrated active leadership and service to the Association and the university press community.
Srinivasan was nominated by colleagues within the scholarly publishing field for her longstanding commitment to the work of AAUP. Over her more than 20-year career at the University Press of Mississippi, she has served on numerous committees and the board of AAUP, directed workshops, planned regional and national meetings, and served unofficially as a mentor and example of excellence to colleagues at Mississippi and throughout AAUP. She chaired the Program Committee that planned the 2001 AAUP Annual Meeting in Toronto.
The award was announced to AAUP in St. Petersburg, Florida, at the recent 2002 Annual Meeting. In introducing the honoree, Pat Soden, director of the University of Washington Press and AAUP board member, mused over a broader definition of “constituency” that can be applied to the work of university presses, including a press’s home institution, authors, and readers. Srinivasan’s service to this broader constituency is also unquestioned. Her work as Executive Editor and, since 1998, Director at Mississippi has been recognized as a major factor in the Press’s increasing international prestige. Historian and Mississippi author Stephen Ambrose offered this commendation, “I’m so delighted Seetha has been chosen for [this] award… I’ve published books with four other university presses and with three commercial firms, so I’ve had a lot of editors and know at least something about the process. No one, anywhere, could be better.”
Srinivasan joined the University Press of Mississippi as Executive Editor in 1980 when the Jackson-based Press was just ten years old. She is credited with the development of some of Mississippi’s cornerstone series, including “Literary Conversations,” a film directors series, and a series on health. She is active in service within the Jackson community as well, serving on the boards of a number of arts and education groups.
Srinivasan’s service to AAUP will continue, as she has been named President-Elect of the AAUP Board. Her one year term as President will begin at the 2003 AAUP Annual meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, next June.
Read more about the history of the Constituency Award and see its complete Honor Roll.