John, eloquent letter; thank you for voicing our concerns. Jocelyn Sent from my iPhone On Jun 6, 2012, at 11:56 AM, John Bird <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Here is the letter I just sent the president of the university: > > Dear President Wolfe: > > I am Professor of English at Winthrop University in South Carolina and the > Vice President of the Mark Twain Circle of America, an international > organization with several hundred members. While I cannot speak for all > members of the Mark Twain Circle, I know I speak for the vast majority when > I say that we are very distressed at your recent decision to close the > University of Missouri Press, and we hope you will reconsider. > > The press has a number of series, including Mark Twain and His Circle, which > is directed by Tom Quirk, Professor of English at University of > Missouri-Columbia. The University of Missouri Press has established itself > as the leading academic publisher of books on Mark Twain. They published my > book, Mark Twain and Metaphor, in 2007. The staff of the press treated me > and my book with utmost professionalism throughout the process, from > acceptance and editing through layout and production and promotion. All of > the other Twain scholars who have published with the press join me in saying > that we are extremely pleased with the quality of the work by all the staff. > > Mark Twain is certainly among the most important and well-known Missourians > who ever lived. It is truly right and proper that the best line of scholarly > books on Mark Twain emanate from the state of his birth, the state that > contributed so much to his greatness as a writer. If the University of > Missouri Press does indeed close, books about him will be published > elsewhere. I consider that a crying shame and a huge loss for your > university and your state. > > I join with the many voices who respectfully ask you to reconsider your > decision. The Mark Twain and His Circle series is only one of many that will > suffer if the University of Missouri Press ceases to exist. > > Sincerely, > John Bird > Vice President, Mark Twain Circle of America > Professor of English > Winthrop University > Rock Hill, SC 29733 > [log in to unmask] > > -----Original Message----- > From: Tracy Wuster > Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2012 2:34 PM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Save the University of Missouri Press--Facebook page and Petition > > Hello all, > > I know that many Twain scholars have been following the sad decision to > close the University of Missouri Press. Bruce Miller and Ned > Stuckey-French have passed on the press release below and asked Twain > scholars to join the FaceBook page and sign the petition in support of the > press and the "Mark Twain and His Circle" series. > > Facebook page: > > https://www.facebook.com/SaveTheUniversityOfMissouriPress > > Petition: > > http://signon.org/sign/save-the-university-of.fb8?source=3Dc.fb&r_by=3D3089= > 3 > > Please take a minute to express your support for the press and its work on > Mark Twain. > > Best, > > Tracy Wuster > > *Contacts: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE > Bruce Joshua Miller Ned Stuckey-French > 773 275-8156 850 553-9549 > [log in to unmask] [log in to unmask] > <[log in to unmask]> > <[log in to unmask]> > > CLOSING OF UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI PRESS PROMPTS MASSIVE REACTION > > Facebook Page Attracts Hundreds; Missourians and Others Up in Arms > > New University of Missouri President Tim Wolfe=92s announcement last Thursd= > ay > that he was shutting down the University=92s press has prompted a firestorm > of opposition. > > The Press, which was founded 54 years ago, has published approximately > 2,000 titles for both scholars and the general reader, everything from a > biography of St. Louis Cardinals=92 great Stan Musial to the Collected Work= > s > of Langston Hughes. The Press has also published the letters and > autobiography of favorite son Harry Truman, and now Missourians and others > have decided to =93give =91em hell.=94 > > Authors, teachers, librarians, Missouri alums, and readers from across the > state of Missouri and the country have voiced their outrage. Within one day > a =93Save the University of Missouri Press=94 on Facebook had attracted ove= > r > 600 followers. Articles about the national reaction to the closing have > appeared already in Publishers Weekly, Inside Higher Ed, St. Louis Today, > and the Columbia (MO) Daily Tribune. > > Many of the letters and posts have focused on the disparity between the > fact that the head football coach at the University of Missouri Gary Pinkel > receives an annual salary of $2.7 million while the University=92s subsidy > for the Press=92s staff of ten, which designs, edits and produces 30 titles= > a > year, is only $400,000. > > Successful trial lawyer, UM alum and Missouri Press author Thomas Strong > wrote President Wolfe to say, =93I cannot adequately express how offended I > am by your decision. Please remove the plaque that bears my name in a room > of the law school. I will make no further financial gifts to MU.=94 > > The American Association of University Presses (AAUP) issued a formal > announcement: =93The AAUP was shocked by the unexpected announcement by > University of Missouri system president Timothy Wolfe of the planned > closure of the University of Missouri Press. =85The shortsighted decision t= > o > close an experienced publishing center during a time of expansion in > scholarly communications rather than to creatively benefit from the > invaluable resource of a widely respected university press is one we hope > the University of Missouri will reconsider.=94 > > The Press publishes scholarly series and editions devoted to the work of > Missouri-born authors such as Langston Hughes and Mark Twain, and scholars > of those authors have been some of the first to write to President Wolfe. > Southern Methodist University professor and Hughes scholar Darryl > Dickson-Carr wrote, =93Hughes, as you know, was a native son of Missouri, o= > ne > of many stellar writers born, raised, or shaped by the state's great, rich > history. I needn't tell you of the others, including Mark Twain, who helped > put Missouri at the heart of this nation's great literary tradition. =85I > urge you to reconsider because the press has already been an excellent > steward of the state's resources. It has taken the funds invested and > turned them into scholarship that documents the history of a great state. > It has enhanced the university's mission. Without it, all of us will be > poorer.=94 > > National Public Radio commentator, Seattle librarian and author Nancy Pearl > wrote, =93As a book lover, I am saddened by this decision - especially in > light of the huge disparity between what the relatively paltry amount that > University of Missouri Press needs to continue operations in comparison to > the huge amount of money that goes to support the University's major sports > teams. Something's screwy in our values, here.=94 > > At the time of this release, President Wolfe had not responded to the > public outcry. > > #### > *