From the Director

If you are a Patron of the University of Missouri Press, you probably already know that we're in the midst of our Annual Fund drive. Although we had a one-week matching-fund drive this past November, thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, it has been more than two years since the Press has made a mailing to the full Patron membership asking for your continued support.

Following its temporary closure this past summer, the Press is poised for growth and expansion. We are excited about the books we have lined up for our Fall 2013 list, and we are excited as well about making more of our backlist titles available as ebooks while simultaneously making all of our ebooks available through more venues. We are also hoping to strengthen the financial status of the Press so that no future University administration will consider closing the Press to be a viable option.

The strong and vocal support of our Patrons played an integral role in convincing the University administration to reverse its decision to close the Press. Knowing how much you appreciate the work we do has also reinvigorated our commitment to our publishing program. We hope that, with your ongoing support, the Press will be able not just to survive but to prosper, continuing to publish important books while taking on the challenges posed by new technologies and the changing face of book publishing.

As a university press, we are mindful of our mission to publish significant works of scholarship, especially those unlikely to turn a profit for commercial publishers. Your steadfast support for this work has brought the Press to an exciting juncture. We invite you now to invest in the future of the Press by making a tax-deductible contribution to the Press’s endowment fund. Your donation will make a substantial difference in our ability to continue to publish and market important works of scholarship.

If you received a letter from me, I hope that you will take a few minutes to respond. If you are not already a Patron of the Press or did not receive the recent mailing, you can contribute by completing and mailing the form on the Patrons pages of our website.  Or, if you would rather pay online with a credit card, go to MU Online Giving, click Other, and type in “University of Missouri Press Endowment Fund.”

Thank you for your consideration and your support.

Jane Lago

Consulting Director