On Wednesday, February 25, colleagues, faculty, and friends gathered in the Library at the Italian Academy to celebrate Associate Provost and Director Jennifer Crewe’s retirement after forty years at Columbia University Press. During the evening, the Press announced that it is raising funds to establish an endowment for the Distinguished Book Award, renamed the Jennifer Crewe Distinguished Book Award, in Crewe’s honor. The yearly award, established by Crewe when she became director, recognizes the most influential book by a member of the Columbia faculty published by the Press. Those who wish to honor Jennifer Crewe’s extraordinary legacy are warmly invited to make a gift.

Opening remarks by Vice Provost and University Librarian Ann Thornton reflected on Crewe’s decision to incorporate the Press into the University and her sustained commitment to aligning it with Columbia’s academic mission, remarking, “A great university must have a great press, and Columbia University Press strengthens the University’s reputation and its public impact.”