named programs · 3 · from sources
What they call their work
Advocacy and Public Policy
Engages in advocacy efforts to protect academic freedom, oppose censorship, and defend federal support for research and the humanities; files comments with government agencies and joins coalitions to influence policy
Core Values Initiative
Promotes shared values of integrity, diversity, stewardship, and intellectual freedom across the global university press community
Global Translation Programs Support
Supports translation initiatives that bring international scholarship into English and promote cross-cultural academic exchange
activities · 6 groups
What they do
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Free Expression Defense & Advocacy 1 activity
- Advocacy for academic freedom and scholarly publishingEngages in public advocacy to defend academic freedom, oppose censorship, and protect federal support for research and humanities. Activities include filing formal comments with federal agencies, joining coalitions to oppose restrictive legislation (e.g., national book bans), and issuing public statements against political interference in higher education.
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Educator Conferences & Professional Development Events 1 activity
- Professional development and networking for scholarly publishersHosts an annual meeting for professional development and networking among university press and nonprofit scholarly publisher staff. Provides ongoing educational opportunities including workshops, training resources, and recognition programs to enhance staff effectiveness and leadership within the scholarly publishing community.
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Professional Excellence Awards Programs 1 activity
- Promotion and recognition of excellence in scholarly publishingOrganizes University Press Week annually to highlight the impact of university presses through themed events and featured publications. Administers awards that recognize excellence in book design, production, and contributions to the university press community.
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Industry Research and Benchmarking 1 activity
- Research and data analysis in scholarly publishingConducts and publishes original research on university press operations, including annual compilation and analysis of operating data, surveys on editorial board practices, and best practice handbooks (e.g., peer review of monographs). Maintains reference resources such as subject area guides and curated reading lists.
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Academic Journal and Scholarly Publication 1 activity
- Scholarly publication and disseminationPublishes and disseminates scholarly works including books, journals, translations, reprints, digital editions, and creative writing across disciplines. Focuses on underrepresented voices, regional cultures, emerging fields, and global audiences. Supports open access, interdisciplinary scholarship, and curriculum development through rigorous peer review and editorial enhancement.
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Uncategorized 2 activities
- Capacity building for university presses and scholarly publishersStrengthens the operations and collaboration of university presses through programs such as UP Commons (an online community), a Global Partner Program that pairs member and nonmember publishers for transnational learning, and expert guidance on intellectual property and publishing practices. Also supports parent universities’ missions and reputations through strategic publishing partnerships.
- Support for authors and publishing accessibilityProvides practical tools and resources for authors seeking to publish with university presses, including guides on manuscript submission. Enhances accessibility by offering American Sign Language translation of organizational content in collaboration with Gallaudet University.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$1.70M
Contributions & grants$00%
Program service revenue$1.54M91%
Investment income$45K3%
Other revenue$113K
expenses
Total expenses$1.79M
Program expenses44%
Admin / overhead56%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$1.01M
Grants paid out$3K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$2.39M
Cash$177K
Investments$2.08M
Liabilities$168K
Net assets$2.23M
Liquid reserves15.1 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue +13.1%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| PETER M BERKERY JR | Executive Dir. | 40 | $304K |
board members · 13
- ALEXANDRIA LEONARD — Treasurer
- ALISA PLANT — Director
- ANTHONY COND — President
- DENNIS LLOYD — PRESIDENT-ELECT
- DOUGLAS HILDEBRAND — Director
- ERICH VAN RIJN — Director
- HILARY CLAGGETT — TREASURER-ELECT
- JANE BUNKER — Past President
- JOHN SHERER — Director
- RACHAEL LEVAY — AT-LARGE DIRECT
- TARA CYPHERS — AT-LARGE DIRECT
- WALTER BIGGINS — AT-LARGE DIRECT
- WENDY QUEEN — AT-LARGE DIRECT
relationships · 63
Who they work with
- AASL Partner — Partners with AASL through a joint panel of librarians that reviews and selects titles from member presses for a library collection development resource.
- Aarhus University Press Partner — Contributed to Danish translation
- Acquisitions Editorial Committee Partner — Committee responsible for authoring the Peer Review Best Practices handbook and the Editorial Board Practices Survey.
- American Association of Colleges and Universities Network — Affiliate Member of AUPresses
- American Association of Colleges and Universities Partner — Jointly opposed the Trump administration's Compact for Academic Excellence and co-signed "A Call for Constructive Engagement."
- American Council of Learned Societies Network — Affiliate Member of AUPresses
- American Council of Learned Societies Partner — Collaborated in opposing OMB research funding rules and White House interference with Smithsonian museums.
- American Historical Association Partner — Joined in condemning federal attacks on the National Endowment for the Humanities.
- American Library Association Partner — Aligned in opposition to national book-banning legislation to protect the freedom to read.
- Amherst College Press Partner — Stephanie Williams has been involved with the advisory board of Amherst College Press.
- Asian Languages and Cultures Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison Partner — Contributed multiple language translations including Hindi, Hmong, Korean, Malayalam, Persian, Portuguese, Thai, and Yiddish
- Banned Books Week Coalition Partner — Sponsor of Banned Books Week Coalition
- Book Industry Study Group Network — Member of Book Industry Study Group
- Bookshop.org Partner — Partner platform where a curated collection of university press books is available for purchase.
- Catholic University of America Press Partner — Contributed to Latin and Vietnamese translations
- Clarivate Partner — Recognized partner in the AUPresses Partners Program supporting scholarly communications.
- Coalition for Diversity & Inclusion in Scholarly Communications Network — Founding Member of C4DISC
- Committee on Publication Ethics Network — Corporate Member of COPE
- Ediciones Uniandes Partner — Translated organizational content into Spanish
- Free Expression Network Network — Member of Free Expression Network
- Gallaudet University Partner — Collaborated on American Sign Language translation of organizational content
- Gallaudet University Press Partner — Contributed to American Sign Language translation project
- Graduate Program in Publishing, George Washington University Partner — Recognized partner in the AUPresses Partners Program supporting scholarly communications.
- Grady Health System Partner — Integrated food prescriptions into primary care
- Humanities Commons Network — Participating Organization in Humanities Commons
- ITHAKA Partner — Recognized partner in the AUPresses Partners Program supporting scholarly communications.
- Ingram Academic & Professional Partner — Recognized partner in the AUPresses Partners Program supporting scholarly communications.
- Inside Higher Ed Partner — Co-published multiple op-eds on the value and infrastructure of university presses
- International Publishers Association Network — Associate Member of IPA
- Johns Hopkins University Press Partner — Davida Breier, Director-at-Large of AUPresses, is co-director of marketing and sales at Johns Hopkins University Press.
+ 33 more
strategies · 5
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Community of Practice for Scholarly Publishingmethodology: community_of_practiceBy fostering a global community of university presses and publishing professionals, the organization strengthens collective advocacy and shared standards, which enhances the quality and impact of research-based scholarship because collaboration builds institutional resilience and alignment around best practices.
- Peer Review and Academic Standards Enforcementmethodology: peer_review_academic_publishingBy promoting rigorous peer review and faculty oversight across member presses, the organization ensures scholarly validity and publishing integrity, thereby advancing knowledge because standardized academic review processes safeguard credibility and trust in research outputs.
- Professional Development and Capacity Buildingmethodology: professional-development-supportBy providing professional education and development resources, the organization strengthens member presses’ ability to fulfill their publishing missions because improved staff knowledge and practices lead to more effective, sustainable scholarly communication infrastructures.
- Transnational Collaborative Networkingmethodology: transnational-collaborative-networkingBy pairing nonmember publishers from the Global South with member presses, the organization fosters equitable global knowledge exchange and strengthens underrepresented publishing ecosystems because structured partnerships transfer expertise and amplify diverse scholarly voices.
- Values-Based Advocacy for Intellectual Freedommethodology: values-based advocacyBy advocating publicly against threats to scholarship grounded in core values like intellectual freedom, equity, and stewardship, the organization protects researcher autonomy and the integrity of the scholarly record because principled collective action reinforces the societal role of university presses in defending knowledge.