UA Press Appoints New Advisory Board Members

Photo by Matt Reynolds

Clockwise from top left: Stacy Leeds, Robert Cochran, Jeff Shannon, Calvin White, Tom Paradise, Angie Maxwell, Jeannie Whayne.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Arkansas Press has appointed seven faculty experts to its new Press Advisory Board. The board will advise the press in its mission to publish the highest quality scholarship that serves the broader academic community and Arkansas and the region.

Mike Bieker, press director, David Scott Cunningham, senior acquisitions editor, and Jim Rankin, vice provost for research and economic development, will serve on the advisory board in addition to the following charter members:

• Robert Cochran, professor of English, director of the Center for Arkansas and Regional Studies
• Stacy Leeds, dean of the School of Law and professor of law
• Angie Maxwell, associate professor of political science, director of the Diane Blair Center of Southern Politics
• Tom Paradise, professor of geosciences, director of Middle East Studies
• Jeff Shannon, professor of architecture and former dean of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design
• Jeannie Whayne, University professor of history
• Calvin White, associate professor and chair of the history department

“I’m pleased to announce the formation of the Press Advisory Board,” said Bieker. “These scholars will play a crucial role in ensuring that the Press is publishing excellent books. Also, the members’ wide variety of perspectives will connect us more strongly to the larger campus and enrich our understanding of University goals and visions.”

“Our Press was the brainchild of Willard Gatewood and Miller Williams, so surely it's appropriate for current faculty to offer editorial assistance and other support,” said Cochran. “The Press plays a vital role in our work. I’m proud to serve.”

“When I began researching Arkansas history in 1980 as a graduate student in California, I was surprised to see how little had been published on the topic,” said Whayne. “Today I could fill an entire bookcase with books on Arkansas history, geography, and geology, largely thanks to the UA Press. In fact, the press expanded into other important areas of scholarly publishing and I could fill another bookcase with books on those topics. I’m happy to participate in the success of the Press going forward.”

 “I am delighted to find a vibrant press that represents not only the University of Arkansas, but the entire state,” said Chancellor Joe Steinmetz. “The UA Press has the important work of making research and scholarship generated by faculty at our campus and around the country available to the broader public. Their cultural importance and influence can’t be overstated.”

About the University of Arkansas Press:  Founded in 1980, the University of Arkansas Press is an academic publishing house that is part of the University of Arkansas. A member of the Association of American University Presses, it has as its central and continuing mission the publication of books that serve both the broader academic community and Arkansas and the region.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines.