These are interesting times for university presses—"interesting" being a synonym in some minds for "difficult and scary." If it helps to be philosophical about publishing these days, Jane Bunker, the new director of Northwestern University Press, should be well qualified. She has a master's in philosophy from Fordham University and is active in the Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy.

A Wisconsin native, Bunker came to Northwestern from SUNY Press, where she has been associate director and acquisitions editor, among other roles. The books she has acquired over her career give you some sense of her interests. They include Constructing the Nation: A Race and Nationalism Reader (SUNY Press, 1999), edited by Mariana Ortega and Linda Martin Alcoff; Kindness and the Good Society (SUNY Press, 2002) by William S. Hamrick; and translations of Martin Heidegger and F.W.J. Schelling.

This is Bunker's first week in the director's chair. Via email, we asked her to talk a bit about what it's like to take the reins now and what she sees ahead for the press.

Q. What do you see as the press's major strengths right now?

A. Its well-balanced and world-renowned list, its incredibly talented and energetic staff, and its solid relationship with its parent institution.

Q. What do you expect the biggest challenges to be in your first year as director? The biggest opportunities?

A. What’s challenging is that there is a lot to do. Prioritizing will be key. It’s hard to choose among the many opportunities we have, but a key one will involve how we move ahead with e-books. We’ve got a large and impressive backlist, and getting it out there in a digital environment is key.

Q. How would you like to see the press's list evolve during your tenure? Are there particular subject areas that you expect to expand or de-emphasize?

A. There are no current plans to alter the list in any dramatic way. Like any good press, we want to continue producing the highest quality books with the greatest sales potential. Although it would be odd not to draw upon my own background in acquiring philosophy titles, which could only add to Northwestern University Press’s superb list in continental philosophy.  

Q. What's your strategy for the press in terms of producing and marketing e-books?

A. We have a number of irons in the fire on this front, but on my first week in the job, it’s premature to discuss any of them.

Q. What are you most looking forward to about the job?

A. It’s hard to choose! I’m delighted to be at a place connected to one campus, where relationships can be forged across a variety of different sectors. The press already has solid and deep ties with various professional schools, programs, and scholars at Northwestern, and has done books with the library and with the Block Art Museum, but there’s so much more that can be done. I’m also excited to begin working with the staff in a collaborative manner to create a new strategic plan for the press. We’re knowledge workers, and I want to make this a truly creative organization. And I’m looking forward to deepening our relationship with the library, and seeing what sorts of collaborative projects can be built there.

Q. These are tricky times for scholarly publishers, given shrinking budgets, the pressures on the library market, and many scholars' increasing desire to work with open-access models and alternative ways of sharing and publishing their research. How do you feel about the prospects for university presses in the short- and long term?

A. It is tricky—absolutely. But one will never get bored! I love what Richard Brown said at our annual meeting of the Association of American University Presses a few weeks ago, that we’re all going to be in a perpetual state of transition from now on. Fortunately, during this period of change, the academic publishing industry is already very open. As an industry we share our successes and failures with each other on a regular basis through many channels, the AAUP being one of them. We learn from each other's experiments and exploratory initiatives. The classical mission of university presses, publishing peer-reviewed scholarship and regional trade books, continues to be our core activity. But it turns out that there are different ways to engage in the many steps in that process and that is where the field is experimenting with innovations. Cost pressures, new revenue streams, and especially new technology issues, have combined to make this a very interesting historical period in academic publishing.  It is a good time, there are constraints but at a time when everything seems to be exploding, there are also tremendous opportunities for productive change.—Jennifer Howard