Southern Methodist University Press to Die?

Michael Merschel in his "Texas Pages" at the Dallas News brings news about the apparent closing of the venerated Southern Methodist University Press, est. 1937 and still quite active.  He begins "The future of the award-winning Southern Methodist University Press is at risk today after university provost Paul W. Ludden announced plans to suspend operations for budgetary reasons. (Link is to today's Dallas Morning News story.) Ludden noted that "challenging budgetary times" are when "difficult and sometimes unpopular decisions must be made." He said that "By suspending operations rather than closing the press with finality, we retain the option to resume the press in a renewed form in the future." Mark Long's comment regarding the reversion of copyright control to the original authors is point to remember -- for the authors and potential re-printing by other presses. The Parlor wonders if this will be followed by a re-start with only digital publishing as did Rice University recently. Read more about it : http://booksblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/05/operations-suspended-at-smu-pr.html and http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/education/stories/050610dnmetsmupress.4108acb.html