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NEWS RELEASE University of Minnesota Press heads in new direction Minneapolis /St. Paul, Minnesota (10/31/2007) The University of Minnesota Press in partnership with the Institute for Advanced Study at the University of Minnesota has been awarded a grant of $672,000 from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to launch “Quadrant,” a program to promote interdisciplinary research and publication. Quadrant marks the beginning of a new model for University–Press partnerships designed to bring scholars in the humanities and social sciences into dialogue with those in the sciences and professional schools. In doing so, Quadrant also addresses rising concerns about the distance of university presses from the goals and priorities of their parent institutions. Quadrant seeks to address the University of Minnesota’s ambitious goal of being one of the top three public research institutions in the world by providing research residencies or other opportunities for collaborative interaction to scholars at the Institute for Advanced Study and supporting publication of the resulting work by the University of Minnesota Press. “This program offers exciting new possibilities for the production and dissemination of research which crosses ordinary disciplinary and institutional boundaries. We are pleased to be partners in what promises to be an innovative and dynamic interaction,” said Ann Waltner, Director of the Institute for Advanced Study. Focusing on emerging areas of groundbreaking interdisciplinary scholarship, Quadrant will create four collaborative groups: Design and Architecture, Environmental Sustainability, Global Cultures, Health and Society. In a radical departure from the traditional university press series model, the editorial direction of Quadrant publications will be guided by dynamic, evolving, and diverse groups of academic participants. “We believe the ‘Minnesota Model’ of interdisciplinary research and publication will make a strong case for what can be achieved when a research institution draws its press into the center of its academic priorities and ambitions and makes dissemination a vital part of its strategy for excellence,” said University President Robert H. Bruininks. As part of the Quadrant program, the University of Minnesota Press and the Institute for Advanced Study will also partner with key academic units at the university; conversations are underway with the College of Design, Institute on the Environment, Institute for Global Studies, and the Center for Bioethics. “The Mellon Foundation approached us to discuss how we could most appropriately align our Press’s strengths and its outstanding tradition of innovation with our areas of academic excellence at the University, building on our vital Institute for Advanced Study as an integral partner in this initiative. We were able to work together with Mellon to build new bridges and inspire novel intellectual connections across our great University. This is an excellent example of outstanding partnership and leadership in action. We are very excited about its prospects,” said U of M Provost E. Thomas Sullivan. This initiative continues the University of Minnesota Press’s long history of innovation in scholarly communications. Known as a pioneer in the fields of critical and social theory and publisher of the highly influential Theory and History of Literature Series, the “Minnesota” imprint denotes works that reach across disciplinary boundaries and investigate new areas of scholarship. “Discussions of university presses in the scholarly community are too often framed solely as financial or technological debates. The real contribution of university presses lies in our expertise in encouraging, assessing, sponsoring, and disseminating the work of scholars from a wide array of research institutions. This partnership with the Institute for Advanced Study aligns us more closely with our own university’s ambitions and gives us the opportunity to utilize our talent and experience to more fully benefit the intellectual life of the University of Minnesota and the community,” said University of Minnesota Press Director Douglas Armato. For more information on Quadrant and this Mellon Foundation grant, please contact Heather Skinner, Publicist, at 612-627-1932. About the University of Minnesota Press: Founded in 1925, the University of Minnesota Press is widely considered one of the top ten U.S. university presses and is best known as the publisher of groundbreaking work in social and cultural thought, critical theory, race and ethnic studies, urbanism, feminist criticism, and media studies. The Press is among the most active publishers of translations of significant works of European and Latin American thought and scholarship. Minnesota also publishes a diverse list of works on the cultural and natural heritage of the state and the upper Midwest region. The Test Division of the Press publishes highly regarded personality assessment instruments, including the MMPI-2 and MMPI-A. About the Institute for Advanced Study: The Institute, founded in 2005, offers fellowships to scholars and artists, sponsors a variety of research and creative collaboratives, and hosts a lively series of public programs. The goal of the institute is to facilitate scholarship and creative work and to extend the conversations about that work across and beyond the boundaries of the university. |
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