Emily Casillas, Acquisitions Editor at the University of Nebraska Press, reports on visiting the University of Illinois Press

The University of Illinois Press was particularly well suited as my residency host due to their comparable size and list areas with the University of Nebraska Press. As a newly promoted acquisitions editor, I wanted to learn more about and gain skills in scholarly list building, specifically in American studies and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. In addition, I wanted to learn how another university press handles funding and distribution of open access (OA) publications and also how to manage a successful internship program.

Jenn Bennett-Genthner, Manager of Training, Development, and Services at SUNY Press, reports on visiting Gallaudet University Press and Johns Hopkins University Press

Rationale for visit

I’m currently the sole person at SUNY Press responsible for initiating procedures for accessibility and making our works compliant with EU guidelines. The Week in Residency gave me an opportunity to meet and discuss perspectives and processes with other presses as we all work toward the same goal: frontlist accessibility by June 2025. Since Gallaudet University Press is focused on the deaf community, I thought their perspective could be very valuable while Johns Hopkins University Press has addressed accessibility in ways SUNY hasn’t yet.

Aurora Bell, Associate Editorial Director at the University of South Carolina Press, reports on visiting the University of North Carolina Press

In early February 2024 I spent the better part of a week in residence at University of North Carolina Press. It is with deep gratitude that I thank UNCP staff, especially Assistant Editorial Director Dawn Durante and Director John Sherer, for their warm welcome and candid conversations, and the Association of University Presses for funding this program. It was an unparalleled opportunity.

Geoffrey Little, Concordia University Press, reports on visiting the University of Michigan Press

I begin this report by expressing my very sincere gratitude to the Association for approving and funding my residency, and to Charles Watkinson, Associate University Librarian for Publishing and Director of University of Michigan Press, for creating a full, generous, and carefully thought-out four days for me in Ann Arbor.

Angela Leppig, Gallaudet University Press, reports on visiting Fordham University Press.

The AUPresses Directors Residency was an incredible experience and one of the highlights of my professional life. My primary goal for participating in the program was to gather information about how to sustainably grow Gallaudet’s publishing program; I wanted to identify the foundations that support a successful program and how best to allocate resources. I was hosted by Fordham University Press, which I consider an aspirational press due to its very strong catalog and title output.

Suzanne E. Guiod, Bucknell University Press, reports on visiting NYU Press

I was fortunate to spend February 27 through March 2, 2023 “in residence” at NYU Press as a guest of director Ellen Chodosh, a gracious and generous host. As the director of a tiny press in a relatively remote rural area, a three-hour drive to the nearest major city in any direction, spending time in New York City, and at a well-staffed and well-run press was a real boon.