In another sign of the financial struggles at university presses, outgoing MIT Press director Frank Urbanowski laid off nine people in the book division in January, or roughly 8% of the staff. Urbanowski retired from MIT on January 31 after 27 years.
"The poor economy has affected all of our markets. This is a step we took ourselves. It's a very difficult step that we felt was necessary for the financial health of the press," director Ellen Faran, who took over the position earlier this month, told PW. At present, Faran is in the middle of restructuring and streamlining operations. She plans to continue to publish 200 books a year with a staff of 105.
