Stanford pursues talks to save academic press after criticism

Amid widespread protests, Stanford University has agreed to talks with leaders of Stanford University Press over a threatened withdrawal of funding seen as ¡°likely fatal¡± for one of 바카라사이트 US¡¯ premier academic presses.

Stanford, with a $26.5 billion (?20.5 billion) endowment ¨C 바카라사이트 world¡¯s third-largest ¨C told its faculty senate last week that 바카라사이트 $1.7 million annual subsidy was proving too much in a ¡°very tight?budget?year¡±.

The university began providing 바카라사이트 allocation three years ago with 바카라사이트 understanding that 바카라사이트 assistance would not be permanent, Stanford¡¯s provost, Persis Drell, told 바카라사이트 senate.

But defenders of 바카라사이트 press, both within and beyond 바카라사이트 campus, have argued that university publishing is understood not to be profitable.

¡°If we use a purely financial metric to assess 바카라사이트 value of academic books, 바카라사이트 scholarly mission of 바카라사이트 academy will be lost,¡± more than 700 Stanford faculty, students, staff and alumni said in an open??of protest.

A similar number of people from outside Stanford have signed a companion??with 바카라사이트 same message, saying that ending 바카라사이트 ¡°modest annual subsidy¡± will ¡°cripple 바카라사이트 press with likely fatal results¡±.

Professor Drell said in her statement that Stanford had only approved 바카라사이트 subsidy as a temporary move ¡°with 바카라사이트 assurance from 바카라사이트 press that this would be a bridge to a self-sustaining future¡±.

But university administrators have prohibited 바카라사이트 press from soliciting its own major donors, 바카라사이트 reported. Without 바카라사이트 subsidy, it quoted editorial board member and law professor Richard Thompson Ford as saying that 바카라사이트 press would begin ¡°a death spiral¡±.

Stanford University Press is 바카라사이트 oldest academic press in 바카라사이트 western US, having been?established?as one of 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s founding principles in 바카라사이트 late 19th century. It has a staff of 35 and generates about $5 million in revenue from publishing about 130 to 135 books a year, its director, Alan Harvey, told 바카라사이트 Chronicle.

A Stanford University spokesman?told?바카라사이트 student newspaper, , that leaders of 바카라사이트 Stanford University Libraries and Stanford University Press have begun talks on ways to create a sustainable business model for 바카라사이트 publisher.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com