Gary Dunham Named Interim Director of NU Press

Gary Dunham has been named interim director of the University of Nebraska Press. Prem Paul, vice chancellor for research and dean of graduate studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, announced the staff change. Paul has oversight of the press.

"The University of Nebraska Press is among the university's most respected scholarly assets," Paul said. "I have high confidence in Gary's leadership as the press transitions forward."

Dunham, editor in chief of the press whose specialty lies in Native Studies, has been associated with the press since 1995.

A native of Rowe Hill, Maine, Dunham is the son of a lumberjack and is the first in his family to attend college. He graduated summa cum laude from Bowdoin College, and earned his master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Virginia. An archeologist by profession, he has excavated in Italy and along the U.S. East Coast, and was instrumental in helping with Native American remains repatriations in Virginia.

While at UVa, Dunham was associated with the journal Language in Society. When the NU Press advertised in 1995 for an editor for its Native American listings, Dunham's background in Native American studies and scholarly publishing won him the position.

"It may look like a complete career switch but I feel I went from telling Native American stories through excavation to helping those same stories be told through publishing," he said.

Dunham said the press's tradition and commitment to scholarly excellence remain a high priority. "We appreciate the tremendous support the university shows the press," he said.

Dunham succeeds Paul Royster, who has taken a position in the Department of English at UNL. Royster joined the press in December 2002 from Yale University Press.

Founded in 1941, the NU Press is the largest academic publisher in the Great Plains and a major publisher of books about that region. It is one of the largest state university presses in the nation in terms of titles published and is among the nation's top 10 presses in annual sales volume. Current publishing strengths include Native studies, creative nonfiction, the history of the American West, military history, and sports history. The press is also a national leader in publishing fiction in translation.

The press is also active in nonprint publishing, including CD-ROM and on-demand databases. For instance, the Press is working to make the entire set of Lewis and Clark Journals as edited by Gary Moulton available on the Internet. An archive of Willa Cather's work also exists on-line through the press.

CONTACT: Prem Paul, Vice Chancellor for Research, Dean of Graduate Studies, (402) 472-3123