Two Weeks After Getting Canned, University of Akron Press Staffers Rehired

Two weeks after the University of Akron Press was dissolved as part of sweeping cuts, two staffers who lost their jobs have been rehired.

Scene interviewed one of them, Amy Freels, shortly after she received word of her dismissal. She and Carol Slatter will be "re-engaged" at their same compensation level. 

UA President Scott Scarborough had been hounded by protesters and national supporters of the press, who flocked to social media to register their disapproval. Among other things, they noted the $550 olive jar in Scarborough's university-funded home and questioned the financial priorities of the institution.

Scarborough released a statement Monday saying that all existing publishing contracts would be honored by the press and that the services of Freels and Slatter (though not of former director Thomas Bacher, who had some harsh words for the administration in an Inside Higher Education story) would be retained.   

"The University of Akron Press has been and will continue to be a vital part of the academic core of this institution," Scarborough said. "As we complete its transition to University Libraries, we will take all steps necessary to make sure it maintains its well-earned reputation as a vibrant, active academic press, and to maintain its full membership in the Association of American University Presses."