Saying that funding resources have been exhausted and the press is "not in a self-sustaining financial position," the University of Cincinnati announced that it is closing the University of Cincinnati Press, effective June 30, 2025. At that point, scholarly print and e-books will be assigned to the University of Minnesota Press, while published regional books, including the forthcoming Thinking About Ohio series, will be assigned to the Ohio University Press. All inventory and fulfillment services will continue to be managed by Chicago Distribution Center. The University of Cincinnati Libraries will continue to offer library publishing services for University of Cincinnati faculty authors of open access books, journals, and proceedings.
Founded in 2017, the University of Cincinnati Press has published more than 40 books--30% in open access--and seven academic journals; won nine academic, national, and regional book awards; and published the university's undergraduate student showcase annually. It has been committed to publishing "rigorous, peer-reviewed, leading scholarship in print, e-book, and open access under the governance of a faculty advisory board."
Dean and University Librarian Liz Kiscaden said, "Closure of the press does not diminish its success or impact in innovative scholarly and regional book publishing."
In a statement on the closure, the Association of University Presses said in part that in the "few short years" since the University of Cincinnati Press's founding, "director Elizabeth Scarpelli and her team built a vibrant publishing program dedicated to ensuring academic excellence and cultivating knowledge.... The University of Cincinnati Press served its university's diverse constituencies and garnered widespread praise, including from the National Council of Public History, the American Library Association's CHOICE magazine, and the Midwest Independent Publishers Association.
"The closure of a press such as Cincinnati's, with a thriving catalog and record of service to students and institutional priorities, is an anomaly. Though closures or defunding have been considered in several high-profile situations, public outcry and recognition of the significance of a press to multiple stakeholder communities have led university administrations to reconfirm and even strengthen institutional support or find new paths forward. AUPresses and our community of members are disappointed that such efforts have been unsuccessful to save the valued and valuable Cincinnati university press program."
The association also lauded the University of Minnesota Press and Ohio University Press for "stepping forward to ensure University of Cincinnati Press authors' work will still be available, these voices still heard, and the region still served. Scarpelli and her UCP colleagues have been generous members of the university press and campus communities, and we look forward to seeing their next chapters."