University of Missouri Press to Close

Posted on June 2, 2012

The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that the University of Missouri Press is shutting down. The announcement was made by UM Systems President Tim Wolfe.

The university press has published about 2,000 books since it was created in 1958 by William Peden, a member of MU's English department. The press published about 30 books annually.

In a press release, Wolfe said, "We are grateful to Missouri legislators in both the House and Senate who recognized the importance of public higher education in the state. But even though the budget calls for level funding for higher education, we at the University of Missouri System take seriously our role to be good stewards of public funds, to use those funds to achieve our strategic priorities, and to re-evaluate those activities that are not central to our core mission."

Chronicle.com reports that the University of Missouri Press cut about half of its staff in 2009. Ten more employees will lose their jobs with the closing of the press.

An exact date for the closure of the press has not been given, but it will begin to be phased out starting this July.