Duquesne to close University Press after 90 years

Will wrap up operations over next few months

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Duquesne University Press, which has published scholarly books since 1927, will be closing amid budget tightening.

Its director, Susan Wadsworth-Booth, said Thursday the press operations likely will wind down over the next few months.

“I don’t have any indication from the administration that would indicate otherwise,” she said.

An email statement from Rose Ravasio, Duquesne media relations manager, said in part, “The University has thoroughly evaluated a number of proposals and explored various options regarding the future of the Duquesne University Press. However, the persistent deficits could not be alleviated without sacrificing the high quality for which the Press has been known. Moreover, continuing the financial losses of the Press would take away funds necessary for programs that directly benefit Duquesne students and other academic programs.”

The university’s subsidy is roughly $300,000 per year.

Should this be the DU Press’ last run, Ms. Wadsworth-Booth said she hopes the DU Press “can take really good care” of existing projects and authors and place those works with another really good publisher.

She said there are eight projects contracted but not yet published, with a number of others in earlier stages. The Duquesne University Press averages 10 to 12 books a year and its “Reading the Torah: Beyond the Fundamentalist and Scientific Approaches” by Catherine Chalier was a 2017 French Voices Award winner.

The press specializes in medieval studies, psychology, religion and philosophy. Its scholarly disciplines include the works of John Milton.

Ms. Ravasio said the school is “actively pursuing other proposals to preserve some of the key titles of the University Press. Certain publications in our inventory can be digitized and made available online.

“For a certain group of publications where there is still demand, we will work with other publishers to allow these select titles to be published on demand.”

The Association of American University Presses, based in New York City and Washington, D.C., released a statement Wednesday.

“The decision was announced the same week as the hiring of a new men’s basketball coach with a seven-figure salary, and shortly after the unveiling of plans to invest $40 million in the refurbishing of the basketball arena,” it said, referring to the hiring of Akron coach Keith Dambrot as Duquesne’s new men’s basketball coach, replacing Jim Ferry.

“In AAUP’s view — and indeed in the view of many other observers both on and off campus — these consumption choices seem inconsistent with the institutional mission and aspirations of a national research university.”

Peter Berkery, AAUP executive director, elaborated later in a phone interview: “Of course there should be room for this, especially at an institution that aspires to be, and purports to be, and has many of the hallmarks of a national research university.”

Mr. Berkery used a poker term to describe presses as “table stakes” for any institution considering itself a national research university. The AAUP has a membership of 142 schools.

University presses differ from most print platforms, he said. University press closings are rare he said, noting that by some metrics the last was in 2010.

“Meanwhile, in that same period probably five or six new university presses have been started.”