FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 26, 2021
CONTACT: Darrin Pratt
/ (720) 406-8849 ext. 801
University Press of Colorado adds new members, University of Alaska Press imprint
Effective July 1, 2021, the University Press of Colorado (UPC) added the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) and the University of Denver (DU) to its institutional membership ranks and the University of Alaska Press (UAP) to its portfolio of imprints. UPC now has 11 member institutions across four states—Colorado, Alaska, Utah, and Wyoming—and manages four publishing brands: University Press of Colorado, University of Alaska Press, Utah State University Press, and the University of Wyoming Press.
University of Alaska Fairbanks / University of Alaska Press
Joining UPC will expand the reach, scope, and capacity of the University of Alaska Press and will provide additional resources for outreach efforts like marketing and conference travel, said UAP director Nate Bauer. He noted that UPC has a reputation for boosting the visibility of its consortium partners. “The University of Alaska Press that authors and readers know will be preserved and strengthened. This is a growth opportunity for the stature and the profile of UA Press and its authors, now and in the future.”
Founded in 1967, the University of Alaska Press has published hundreds of fiction and nonfiction books by authors across Alaska, both in print and electronically. The University Press of Colorado was founded in 1965. In addition to its newest members, the consortium includes Adams State University, Colorado State University, Fort Lewis College, Metropolitan State University of Denver, University of Colorado, University of Northern Colorado, University of Wyoming, Utah State University, and Western Colorado University.
“We are thrilled to add the University of Alaska Fairbanks to our membership ranks,” adds Darrin Pratt, director of the University Press of Colorado. “We look forward to working with Nate and his staff to expand the reach and impact of the University of Alaska Press, both within and beyond the state of Alaska.”
“These types of consortia offer a promising model for small presses like ours and we are excited for the opportunity.” said UAF Chancellor Dan White.
University of Denver
The decision to join UPC, University of Denver provost Mary Clark says, reflects DU’s ongoing investment in knowledge exchange with the scholarly and broader communities. “The University of Denver is delighted to become a member of the University Press of Colorado. Their work deeply aligns with our values and we are eager to collaborate,” she says.
Michael Levine-Clark, dean of DU libraries, agrees. “There are many benefits for DU in joining this established press. We believe strongly that university presses play a fundamental role in the dissemination of knowledge, and we have a duty to help support scholarly monographic publishing. There is support of membership in the University Press from all deans and upper leadership, as everyone appreciates another avenue for DU branding of scholarly publications and how that helps to advance the academic reputation of the University.”
“We are so happy to have DU join the ranks of our membership,” says Darrin Pratt. “We have been hoping for several decades that our publishing program might someday benefit from the insights and expertise of the faculty at the fourth-largest university—and the largest private institution—in the state. Adding DU’s unique disciplinary strengths to our editorial program should point us in some interesting new directions.”
Pratt adds that the new additions not only align with specific press-level strategic priorities and goals but also suggest positive directions for university press publishing overall. “The more universities that buy into the scholarly publishing ecosystem the way that DU is doing by becoming a supporting member of UPC, the healthier university press publishing becomes overall. And pooling resources with the University of Alaska Press creates efficiencies that benefit all parties, pointing to at least one model for university presses to work together in creative ways in the near and long term.”
