Northeastern University Joins University Press of New England

Northeastern University has become the newest member of University Press of New England, the publisher and university have announced.

UPNE, a publisher of general interest and scholarly books, is supported by a consortium of New England schools. Northeastern becomes the sixth member of the consortium, joining Brandeis University, Dartmouth College, University of New Hampshire, Tufts University, and University of Vermont. Richard Abel, director of UPNE, said he enthusiastically welcomes Northeastern University as the newest member of the consortium. Northeastern's membership is effective immediately.

Northeastern University Press will operate as a full member of America's only multi-state university press consortium. Northeastern University Press was established in 1977 and has achieved widespread recognition through publishing several hundred works in such diverse fields as criminal justice, New England studies, ethnic studies, and women's studies. Just last spring Northeastern's press faced closure. By joining UPNE, Northeastern University will preserve its well-recognized press imprint and the four hundred Northeastern titles in print will continue to be available to readers worldwide.

Four Northeastern University Press titles will be published in Spring 2005: From Madness to Mutiny: Why Mothers Are Running from the Family Courts-And What Can be Done About It by Amy Neustein and Michael Lesher, Boston's Ballparks and Arenas by Alan E. Foulds, and new paperback editions of Trumbull Park by Frank London Brown and America Without the Death Penalty by John F. Galliher, Larry W. Koch, David Patrick Keys, and Teresa J. Guess. As a member of UPNE, Northeastern University expects to publish close to fifteen new titles annually.

"Northeastern University Press is pleased to join University Press of New England," said Ahmed Abdelal, Northeastern's Provost. "Through this consortium, Northeastern University Press will be able to continue publishing books by outstanding authors in areas for which it has achieved recognition, including criminal justice, New England studies, ethnic studies, and women's studies."

Abdelal will serve on the UPNE Board of Governors and will work with UPNE to develop the Northeastern University Press publishing program. A Northeastern University faculty scholar will be appointed to the UPNE Editorial Board.

"Northeastern will be an important addition to UPNE," said Abel. "Northeastern University Press brings its distinctive strengths in the humanities and the social sciences, as well as in African-American and women's literature, and books for the broader public about Boston and New England. Their publishing program is a perfect fit with UPNE's established dedication to these areas."

Abdelal said Northeastern's decision last spring to close the Press due to significant ongoing operating losses was an extraordinarily difficult one. Abel explains that UPNE was organized to allow multiple institutions to maintain active publishing programs in a cost-effective way by sharing operating costs. "We are thrilled to provide the means by which Northeastern University Press can continue to serve its diverse constituency," said Abel.

UPNE was founded in 1970 and is based at Dartmouth College. In 2002, UPNE was named Publisher of the Year by the New England Booksellers Association and has been cited as a model of academic publishing by the American Council of Learned Societies. The consortium publishes approximately ninety titles annually - under the imprints of its member institutions and University Press of New England.

The UPNE editorial, production, marketing, and operational staff in Lebanon, NH will assume responsibility for all aspects of Northeastern University Press, including order fulfillment for titles published after January 1, 2005. Cornell University Press Services will handle order fulfillment for Northeastern University Press backlist books, including processing returns.