The University Press was authorized by the Board of Trustees in 1953, but was not activated until January 1, 1956, when Vernon Sternberg was appointed the first Director. The Press' first year of operation yielded two publications, but within three years it was producing more than 25 books per annum. Regional history continues to be a primary focus, but the Press has published extensively on philosophy, rhetoric and composition, political science, women's studies, and baseball. It has also undertaken several large projects in conjunction with campus research organizations, collaborating with the Center for Dewey Studies, the Press published the Collected Works of John Dewey (37 volumes) as well as The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant with the U.S. Grant Foundation. Its academic efforts have been awarded national recognition, earning a Conference on College Composition and Communication Outstanding Book Award in 2000 and more recently, numerous honors from ForeWord Magazine. Additionally, John Y. Simon, editor of The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant, received Gettysburg College's Special Achievement Award in 2004. Today the SIU Press remains as one of only 125 university presses in the United States. With more than 3000 titles to its credit, it currently operates under the direction of Arthur Adkins.
From the description of Southern Illinois University Press manuscript collection, 1955-1967. (Southern Illinois University). WorldCat record id: 317550558
