From the Director

Welcome to the University of North Carolina Press. This, the oldest scholarly publishing house in the South, bears the name of a great public university and acts as its publishing arm. Our mission, as stated in the Press’s original 1922 charter, is “to promote generally, by publishing deserving work, the advancement of the arts and sciences and the development of literature.” And in so doing, to be “a stimulus to the intellectual life of the university and the entire South.”

John Sherer, Spangler Family Director of UNC Press (photo by Anna Routh Barzin)

In fulfilling its mission, the UNC Press plays an essential role both in the advancement of knowledge and in the dissemination of scholarship at home and abroad, as well as in stimulating a deeper understanding of all aspects of the South. By its imprint, the Press carries the name of the University of North Carolina far and wide.

While rooted in deep tradition, we are also pushing to be on the forefront of new technologies, making our publications more accessible than ever and expanding our role as a publishing service provider for the university system.  In particular, the Press has recently embarked on two ambitious new undertakings. First, the Press received a $998,000 grant from the Andrew W.  Mellon Foundation to build a scaled, collaborative platform for university presses seeking to efficiently and professionally publish high-quality digital monographs. Second, the Press has created an Office of Scholarly Publishing Services to partner with the UNC system campuses in supporting new publishing efforts aimed at lowering the costs of materials to system students, libraries, and faculty.

All of us who work here are proud of the Press and its tradition of excellence and we encourage you to be in touch with us. We are your university press and our public service mission is one of our deepest values.

John Sherer
Spangler Family Director
john.sherer@uncpress.org

Download John Sherer’s Bio