Dues Structure
The AUPresses Board initiated the Dues Structure Task Force to conduct a comprehensive review of the Association’s current dues structure. The task force’s focus is two-fold: assessment of dues equity across current and potential member populations and a requirement that proposed changes be revenue neutral. The task force began with a study of historical Association member categories and tier structures and familiarized itself with the last dues task force’s work and recommendations. With that shared informational foundation, a task force working group conducted an environmental scan of how similar membership organizations structure their membership and determine dues. Another working group examined an array of possible new membership and affiliation types, colloquially termed “fellow travelers” to university presses. A third working group studied how a variety of organizations in higher education and scholarly communications deploy financial and cultural equity mechanisms to achieve equitable outcomes for globally diverse populations. The task force looks forward to reporting major findings, recommendations, and topics for future study, all with the aim of ensuring member benefits are available to a diverse set of qualifying organizations and that dues are aligned with the value delivered to members.
Allison C. Belan, Duke, Chair
David Aycock, Penn State
Anne Engedal, Aarhus
Garrett Kiely, Chicago
Kara Kirk, Getty
Veronica Klipp, Wits
David Larsen, Manitoba
Darrin Pratt, Colorado
Kim Schmelzinger, Cornell
Stephanie Williams, Wayne State, Board Liaison
Peter Berkery, Central Office Liaison
Brenna McLaughlin, Central Office Support
Generative Artificial Intelligence
The AUPresses Generative AI Task Force is advancing its mission to help the Association of University Presses better understand the practical, ethical, legal, environmental, and strategic implications of generative AI in scholarly publishing. Its goal is to recommend programs, policies, and resources that enable member presses to engage with AI responsibly and effectively.
The group has organized its work into several key initiatives. One project focuses on a survey of member presses to assess how university presses are currently using generative AI and to identify needs around education and training. The results are intended to provide presses with information to help navigate this new environment and they will also assist AUPresses plan future offerings. The survey is being pretested and is slated for fielding by early May 2026.
Another initiative aims to develop accessible resources explaining AI concepts. The task force is also planning a communications toolkit to help presses articulate to their universities their value given the implications of generative AI and address issues such as intellectual property and ethical content use. Additionally, the group is considering collaboration opportunities related to generative AI licensing.
Barbara Kline Pope, Johns Hopkins, chair
Amy Brand, MIT
Hilary Claggett, Georgetown
Laraine Coates, British Columbia
Beth Fuget, Washington
Alan Harvey, Stanford
Katie Hope, Princeton
Marla Kanefsky, Johns Hopkins
Alphonse McDonald, National Academies
Sarah Weicksel, American Historical Association
JD Wilson, Alabama
Catherine Cocks, Syracuse, Board Liaison
Brenna McLaughlin, Central Office Liaison
Global Partnerships
The Global Partnerships Task Force (GTF) has been active since July 2024 and has been addressing its aims, which are necessary to both the value of the AUPresses and to scholarship as a global activity more broadly. The task force, in conjunction with cohorts in the region, organized a workshop, “Aligning Voices—African-Asian University Press Collaborative Workshop,” in Bangkok, Thailand in January 2026, in advance of the Charleston Conference Asia. The Workshop provided an excellent opportunity for presses from these regions to articulate concerns, opportunities, and achievements, and to gather recommendations for further collaboration. Some of these outcomes will be discussed in a panel discussion on bibliodiversity issues and choices facing academic publishers in the Global South at the AUPresses 2026 Annual Meeting, taking place in Seattle in June. The GTF has had contact with several UPs outside of AUPresses in south-east Asia and southern Africa around building and strengthening regional, individual, and inter-regional capacity through online and in-person meetings where possible, including a possible university presses convention, with AUPresses, at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2026, and prospects for an informal meeting of south-east Asian UPs at the Kuala Lumpur Book Fair in May/June 2026. The GTF will continue to focus on bringing AUPresses into dialogue with university press publishers in different regions of the world, particularly in the Global South, and contributing to building an organization that is truly international in outlook and able to represent the interests of all its members
Andrew Joseph, Co-Chair
Michael Duckworth, Hong Kong, Co-Chair
Frances Pinter, Central European
Shannon Kneis, Manchester
Dean Smith, Duke
Sarah Phibbs, Research4Life
Suzanne Guiod, Bucknell
Anthony Cond, Liverpool, Board Liaison
Peter Berkery, Central Office Liaison
University Press Week
University Press Week 2025’s theme, TeamUP, highlighted how collaboration is integral to the work of university presses. More than 80 member press submitted books, journals, series, and collaborative projects for our reading list and gallery; 41 in-person and virtual university press events took place during the week; and our blog tour featured 61 posts, addressing who, what, when, where, and how their presses TeamUP. The task force provided updated publisher, bookseller, and social media toolkits, facilitating participation by member presses and allies. Publicity highlights included features in Spine Magazine, LitHub, Publishers Weekly (sponsored and earned), and the New Books Network podcast. Several media outlets, along with service providers Edelweiss, NetGalley, and Ingram, supported the week with complimentary print and digital ad-space, including first-time placements in The Paris Review and PW Picks enewsletters. The task force is currently planning the 15th annual event, aiming to celebrate how university presses PowerUP to fuel publications, projects, and initiatives that address ongoing challenges and amplify authors’ voices to inform our current moment and shape our future.
Kevin Worrall, Edinburgh, chair
Carrie Adams, Chicago
Julie Atkins, Bristol
Erik Beranek, Princeton
Catherine Dutton, Liverpool
Julia Haav, Princeton
Catherine Hobbs, Columbia
Cate Hodorowicz, North Carolina
Gigi Lamm, Indiana
Nicole Utter, Michigan State
Maya Ventresca, Toronto
Angelica Lopez-Torres, Texas, Board Liaison
Annette Windhorn, Central Office Liaison
McKenzi Thi Murphy, Central Office Staff Support
