Because institutional memory shouldn’t have an expiration date
A running record of leadership appointments and departures, ownership changes, organizational restructurings, and distribution arrangements across university presses and scholarly publishing. Each entry is verified against its original report, described in terms of continuity rather than judgment, and published only after editorial review.
DepartureJohns Hopkins University Press·Effective February 1, 2027·Baltimore Fishbowl
Barbara Kline Pope to retire as executive director of Johns Hopkins University Press
Executive Director · Barbara Kline Pope · Ron Daniels · Lainie Rutkow
Barbara Kline Pope will retire as executive director of Johns Hopkins University Press on February 1, 2027, the university announced in August 2026. She has led the press since 2017, after two decades directing the National Academies Press. Hopkins officials said plans for the search for her successor will be shared in the coming weeks. The press publishes 120 journals and manages membership for 27 scholarly societies.
What This Means for Continuity
A nine-year tenure ends with the successor search already planned and the press's journal program, Project MUSE, and distribution work for other presses in place: the handover is scheduled, and the university's own statement credits the press as well positioned to continue.
RestructuringClarivate·Effective October 6, 2026·Clarivate investor relations
Clarivate completes $600 million sale of its Life Sciences & Healthcare segment
Portfolio and ownership · Matti Shem Tov · Michael Easton
Clarivate completed the sale of its Life Sciences & Healthcare segment to Altaris, a $600 million transaction first announced on July 6, 2026. The company now concentrates on two segments: Academia & Government, which includes Web of Science, ProQuest, Alma and Vega, and Intellectual Property. Clarivate said proceeds will reduce debt, and that it will update 2026 guidance to reflect the divestiture.
What This Means for Continuity
A portfolio change rather than a closure: the segment continues under new ownership while Clarivate narrows its focus to research, library, and patent services, the parts of the business that university presses and their institutions buy from most directly.
AppointmentUniversity of Utah Press·Reported September 22, 2026·University of Utah (attheu.utah.edu)
Brett Rushforth named director of the University of Utah Press
Press Director · Brett Rushforth · Glenda Cotter · Sarah Shreeves
The University of Utah named Brett Rushforth, a historian of the early modern Atlantic world, as director of the University of Utah Press. He joins from the University of Oregon, where he was an associate professor of history. The position was previously held by Glenda Cotter, who retired after 17 years as director and more than 30 years at the university. He joins during the fall semester.
What This Means for Continuity
The press begins its next season with a scholar at the helm and a long-serving director's record in place: the appointment rests on continuity of a peer-reviewed list built over decades in Utah history, archaeology, and nature writing.
AppointmentColumbia University Press·Effective September 8, 2026·Columbia University Office of the Provost
Gita Manaktala appointed executive director of Columbia University Press
Executive Director · Gita Manaktala · Jennifer Crewe · Brad Hebel
Columbia University appointed Gita Manaktala as executive director of Columbia University Press, effective September 8, 2026. She joins after more than three decades at MIT Press, most recently as executive editor at large and earlier as editorial director, where the publishing program grew from roughly 200 to 300 titles a year. She succeeds Jennifer Crewe.
What This Means for Continuity
A national search filled the post from within the scholarly publishing community: the press keeps continuity of a 130-year list of nearly 190 books a year, with open-access and trade publishing experience carried across from MIT Press.
Distribution changeOni Press·Effective August 1, 2026·Penguin Random House
Penguin Random House Publisher Services begins worldwide distribution for Oni Press
Worldwide sales and distribution · David Steward II · Hunter Gorinson · Rachel Goldstein
From August 1, 2026, Penguin Random House Publisher Services sells and distributes Oni Press titles worldwide, including single issue comics and the Magnetic Press imprint, under a multi-year agreement announced in February. Oni Press publishes more than 75 releases a year. Oni's leadership described the partnership as extending the reach of its backlist and its 2026 and 2027 releases.
What This Means for Continuity
Distribution moves of this kind decide how a publisher's list reaches bookstores and comic shops: Oni Press keeps its editorial independence and its 30-year catalogue while a larger sales and distribution network carries the titles to market.