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Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice

University Press of Colorado, University of Alaska Press, Utah State University Press, and University of Wyoming Press are deeply invested in an equitable future for scholarly publishing and scholarly communications that shares knowledge broadly and bridges spaces between communities. We are working toward a future in which the contributions of multiply marginalized or historically underrepresented (MMU) scholars, meaning scholars of color, LGBTQIA+ scholars, Indigenous scholars, disabled scholars, first-generation scholars, immigrant scholars, and other knowledge holders are centered within disciplinary bodies of knowledge and larger conversations.

We recognize that higher education and academic publishing have historically marginalized MMU scholars and individuals through the replication of supremacist social structures, including white supremacist structures; systemic inequalities; and long-standing injustices within the ecosystems of knowledge production. Therefore, it is imperative for those of us within academic publishing to not only identify systemic injustices but also work to dismantle them.

To hold ourselves accountable and to make the ways that we are working to bring about this more equitable future transparent, we are sharing our commitments publicly. We will update our progress on these metrics annually in this document every July after the close of our fiscal year.

  • Attain at least 50 percent representation of MMU individuals among our authors and among our peer reviewers within the next five years.
  • Prioritize recruitment and retention of MMU staff and freelancers, particularly as opportunities for new hires emerge.
  • Commit to hiring and training 3–5 interns per calendar year and actively supporting all interested interns in their pursuit of full-time publishing careers after their time with us.
  • Establish a new and dedicated funding program to support publications by MMU scholars.
  • Produce and publish externally facing process documentation that align with antiracist and antiableist priorities.
  • Meet the Association of University Presses best practices for accessibility with our website, social media, and all our publications.
  • Deliver no fewer than five workshops on publishing for MMU scholars and the wider public each year.

Our commitment to an equitable future is firm, and we will be revisiting, revising, and reporting on these goals annually to reflect current needs, as well as evolving standards and practices within our organization and beyond. We invite critiques on ways in which these goals could be improved and acknowledge that, as a publisher, we have long participated in systems and structures that have not always welcomed MMU scholars or made publication accessible to them. Please find an anonymous survey here where we welcome you to share your feedback and critiques with us.


As part of our commitment to transparent and equitable peer review and publication processes, we have included guidance for current and prospective authors regarding those processes and our publication timelines on our website here

As a member of the Association of University Presses, we fully support the Joint Statement of Principles developed by the Coalition for Diversity & Inclusion in Scholarly Publishing and the Statement on Equity & Anti-Racism ratified by the Equity, Justice, and Inclusion Committee and the AUPresses Board of Directors.


Related Pages:
A Statement on Indigenous Land and Colonial Spaces

Our Publication Processes and Timelines

 

University Press of Colorado University of Alaska Press Utah State University Press University of Wyoming Press