Come April, the University will lose an esteemed faculty member as University Press of Virginia Director Nancy C. Essig retires after a 12-year tenure.
"I want to read, I want to write, I want to study - I may even go after fellowships," Essig said.
She ultimately hopes to write her own book about Virginia writer Ellen Glasgow, whose work has been reprinted through the University Press.
"It's been a difficult decision to make because I love publishing books, but I've been doing it my whole adult life and I want to try some other things too," she said.
Essig first came to the University in 1988 after having served as assistant director at Johns Hopkins University Press. Prior to that, she worked at Columbia University Press in New York.
Since she began here, the University Press has doubled the size of its publishing list. It produced 65 books and other works with sales totaling almost $1.7 million dollars last year alone.
"Virginia has been a special place to publish books with its caring staff, collegial faculty and supportive administration," Essig said.
Over the years, Essig also has helped emphasize the publication of various historical works focused on subjects including African-Americans, women, the history of the American South and Thomas Jefferson.
In addition, Essig has facilitated partnerships with other publishing institutions, including Colonial Williamsburg, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation and the Mariners Museum.
Her fondest memories of working for the University include organizing a 1999 African-American poetry program featuring such guest poets as former U.S. poet laureate and University English professor Rita Dove, Pulitzer Prize winner Gwendolyn Brooks and Melvin Tolson, Jr., son of legendary African-American poet Melvin Tolson.
Essig said she is particularly proud of the publication of the Press' best seller, "Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy" in 1997. Its publication led to a conference co-sponsored by the Press, the University's history department, and Monticello.
Shirley L. Menaker, associate provost for academic support, praised Essig, saying, "Nancy's shoes will be hard to fill, but I am convinced that the visibility and prestige which she has brought to the Press will ensure an excellent slate of candidates for the directorship."
The University already has placed advertisements as part of a nationwide search for a qualified replacement for Essig.
A search committee, which has not yet been formed, is expected to begin reviewing applicants in late January, Menaker said.
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