Torrey will depart UNC Press this summer

When Kate Torrey became the first female director of the UNC Press in 1992, she was intimidated.

But when she stopped focusing on being the first woman in the position and started focusing on actually managing, she said she found the ability to help her editors fulfill their own potentials.

That quality will take on new relevance as Torrey steps down this summer, having successfully prepared UNC Press for the industry’s future, co-workers said.

“Every day there is something new happening — new platforms, new vendors, new distribution channels,” Torrey said. “I like to think of that as lots of new frontiers and lots of new ways to be successful.”

Officials from UNC Press, which publishes both scholarly and topical works, said the seven-person search committee charged with finding a replacement will attempt to “replace the irreplaceable.”

“There are presses that are way behind in the game. We are out front because of Kate,” said Eric Muller, head of the search committee.

Torrey said the press successfully weathered the transition from paperback sales to e-books because of a commitment to providing the best content possible for readers.

She said college presses are in a fortunate position because their primary goal is always to connect books to readers, rather than to generate profits.

“We are still a business, but the not-for-profit part makes what we do and how we publish books different,” Torrey said.

“Our mandate is not to earn dividends for stockholders,” she said. “Our mandate is to publish as many good books as possible this side of bankruptcy.”

The press recently decided to work with JSTOR, an online article database, to more affordably connect its books to readers.

Muller said the search committee is looking for a leader with strong interpersonal skills, a familiarity with the world of scholarly publishing and a vision for digital content.

The committee is still in talks with possible search firms, but members said they hope to have a replacement for Torrey by July 1.

Fitz Brundage, a member of UNC Press’ Board of Governors, wrote in an email that he hopes the next leader of the press will possess at least some of the qualities of his or her predecessor.

Despite the difficult economic climate, he said Torrey created a strong tradition of excellence for the press.

“Kate, like everyone there, is deeply committed to publishing the best, most important and most enduring books possible,” he said.

“Kate has built on a rich institutional legacy and, through a period of difficult transition and evolution in the publishing industry, leaves the press with its reputation as strong as anytime in its history,” he said.

Contact the University Editor at university@dailytarheel.com.