In an office lined with stacks of manuscripts, mock-up covers and backlist titles, Brandeis University’s own publishing press runs a modest yet purposeful imprint under the leadership of Director Sue Ramin. Each book published by the Brandeis University Press carries the recognizable blue Brandeis “B” logo — an extension of the press’ mission outward into bookstores, classrooms and conversations well beyond campus. They reflect the University’s foundation in truth and justice, each book a representation of the University’s ideals. 

For much of its 50-year history, the Brandeis University Press operated as part of the University Press of New England, a consortium that included Dartmouth University, Tufts University and others throughout the northeastern United States. When UPNE dissolved in 2018, only Brandeis and Dartmouth remained, and Brandeis chose not to let the press dissolve. Instead, they rebuilt the operation as a fully independent publisher within the university, expanding its scope and reaffirming its mission. Director Sue Ramin, who arrived in 2019 with a background in trade publishing, helped guide that rebirth.

“If we were going to have a press, it made sense to publish in the humanities and social sciences as well as Jewish studies,” she explained in a Dec. 4 interview with The Justice. The result was a press with broader intellectual reach and more space to experiment. “We’re publishing much more widely now, though we still maintain our strong foundation in Jewish studies.”

That pivot reflects the changing landscape of university publishing. As academic presses across the country shrink or close, the Brandeis University Press has strategically taken a different route. Today, the press maintains a roughly 50-50 balance in its published content: Half are scholarly titles, while the other half are trade books which include content directed more towards a general audience. Scholarship fulfills the academic mission, while trade titles bring visibility and sustainability.

“Trade books increase the visibility of Brandeis University in the world,” Ramin noted. Each one extends the university into public discourse, offering a bridge between the specific scholarships and a broader readership, forming a kind of stewardship. When the press acquired the full backlist of UPNE in 2021, its catalog jumped from 300 to roughly 700 titles. With that expansion came a responsibility to preserve and reissue works with lasting cultural relevance.

The Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs, and a member of the press’ editorial board, Prof. Jeffrey Shoulson (ENG) emphasizes just how precarious and purposeful such circulation is. “The business model for university presses has been challenging,” he said in a Nov. 14 interview with The Justice. “Many presses have significantly condensed their publications. They’re expensive to run, and they’re often a loss leader for universities.” Brandeis University Press, he believes, has succeeded by mixing scholarly titles with trade books that generate revenue and broaden readership.

Shoulson’s role on the editorial board offers another glimpse into the press’s values. Twice a year, the board meets to evaluate four to eight potential titles and read manuscripts at various stages of consideration. Before each meeting, members receive proposals, sample chapters and peer reviews from experts in the field. “If it’s scholarly, we evaluate whether it’s legitimate scholarly work. If it’s for a general audience, we look at whether it can draw the audience it intends,” he says. The review process is rigorous but also meaningful, as the board isn’t just choosing books but determining which ideas to enter the world under Brandeis’ name.

For Ramin, that responsibility is constant. “I believe in every book we publish,” she said plainly. “Every book has merit and excellence in different ways, or I wouldn’t be publishing it.” It’s not an exaggeration. The press’ small staff, consisting of three full-time and three part-time employees, manages an expansive network of freelancers including copy editors, production editors, designers, proofreaders, indexers and a marketing team connected to the University of Chicago Press. Behind every book is a vast infrastructure of care.

That care reflects a deeper ideological alignment between the press and the University. Brandeis’ founding values of intellectual honesty, social justice and public engagement are exhibited in the press’s wide-ranging but intentional list. Working with the University’s community directly, it publishes scholarly works such as those from the Tauber Institute for the Study of European Jewry, the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, the Mandel Lectures and the Law & Society series. Other published works for a general audience include “Boston’s Oldest Buildings and Where to Find Them” or the adorable photo book on the “Ducks on Parade!” sculpture and its many seasonal costumes. These books, rooted in local culture, are forms of justice, community, memory and civic engagement.

The press’s work may seem quiet, but its impact is lasting. Books endure as they shape understanding, preserve memory and create dialogue long after the news cycle has moved on. At Brandeis, where justice is a core value, the press extends that mission through ideas that are carefully chosen, beautifully produced and presented to the world.

As Ramin sets down a newly printed volume on her desk, the shining “B” on its spine catches the light, a small yet steady and unmistakable imprint of the values it carries forward.