The priceless work of university presses

Here's what Kentucky loses by saving $672,000

In praise of the university press.
(Image credit: iStock)

The polite thing to do would be to offer Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) the benefit of the doubt and suggest that his recklessly philistine decision to eliminate all funding for the University of Kentucky Press in his state's next budget is a fluke. Decisions like this one are usually the product of late-night brainstorming sessions, when red-eyed staffers pore over spreadsheets in search of the least helpful-sounding programs, daft stuff like $50,000 grants for researchers studying why people find politics stressful or free gym passes for rich judges.

It wouldn't be taking him at his word, though. Bevin has insisted that he has been "thoughtful" and "not indiscriminate" in selecting the 70 state programs that will receive no funding at all for the next fiscal year, supposedly saving some $85 million and thereby balancing Kentucky's budget. It would take more than the space of a single column to assess the desirability of giving zero dollars to programs that offer free breast and colon cancer screenings and help minority students prepare for college. Perhaps eliminating direct aid to public libraries and county fair agricultural grants and tree nurseries is a necessary economy. But the case for not abolishing the meager $672,000 subsidy provided to the University of Kentucky Press is straightforward enough.

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Matthew Walther

Matthew Walther is a national correspondent at The Week. His work has also appeared in First Things, The Spectator of London, The Catholic Herald, National Review, and other publications. He is currently writing a biography of the Rev. Montague Summers. He is also a Robert Novak Journalism Fellow.