Retired Professor Steve Howard supports global scholarship at Ohio University Press

Ohio University Press is proud to announce a generous gift from retired Ohio University Professor Steve Howard to support the publication of scholarship in African studies.

The funds will be used to offset book production costs, ensuring continued access to high-quality academic work that reflects and reinforces Ohio University’s international reputation.

“The business of publishing groundbreaking research by emerging scholars is not highly profitable, but it is essential to forwarding conversations around critical issues,” says Beth Pratt, director of Ohio University Press. “Steve Howard’s gift will ensure continuity in this area of publication for which Ohio University Press is globally recognized through prizes, media attention and classroom book adoptions.”

Howard, a longtime faculty member, editorial board member, and former director of the Center for International Studies and the African Studies program, emphasized the importance of sustaining scholarly publishing.

“Ohio University Press has played a vital role in bringing important voices and ideas to the world stage,” he says. “I wanted to support the continuation of that mission—especially in areas where funding is scarce but the need for thoughtful, rigorous scholarship is great.”

Ohio University Press is internationally recognized for its excellence in African studies publishing, with numerous award-winning titles and a robust portfolio of series in the field. The achievements of the Ohio University Press include three American Historical Association’s Martin A. Klein Awards in the past four years. The Klein Award recognizes the year’s most distinguished work of African scholarship published in English.

University presses like Ohio University Press are essential to the academic ecosystem, supporting research that might otherwise go unfunded and amplifying the voices of scholars worldwide. Howard’s gift ensures that OHIO remains at the forefront of this mission, championing ideas that transcend borders and disciplines.

For more information about Ohio University Press and its publications, visit ohioswallow.com.