What in the world is going on at Wayne State University?
A baffling development, a lack of cogent answers, and a community that came together to demand them. This is one writer’s — and family member’s — experience. By Zena Burns
When I saw a text from my brother Tom pop up on my phone, I figured it had something to do with the opening of his wife’s new play. My sister-in-law of 20+ years, Annie Martin, had risen through the ranks of the well-regarded mid-size university publisher, Detroit’s Wayne State University Press (WSUP), to become its Editor-in-Chief. She’s also an accomplished playwright. The premiere of her latest play, 900 Miles to International Falls, was taking place that night at Michigan’s Williamston Theater.
Boy, was I wrong about that text.
Tom: “Well, Annie just got laid off with no warning or reason after 20 years.”
Me: “What?! Isn’t her show opening tonight and hasn’t she done stellar work at WSUP?” (For example, she’d just acquired and edited The Queen Next Door: Aretha Franklin, An Intimate Portrait, which in fewer than five months was already the biggest-selling frontlist title in WSUP’s 79-year history.)
Tom: “Yes and yes. Horrific timing. And she has 20 years of glowing performance reviews.”
I’d come to learn that Annie, the EIC; Kristin Harpster, Editorial, Design, and Production Manager; and Emily Nowak, Sales and Marketing Director — who had been with the Press a collective 54 years — had been called into a meeting on Friday, February 7, with Jon Cawthorne, Dean of the University’s Library System into which the Press started reporting officially in July 2019, and their direct boss, Tara Reeser, who had been promoted from Journals Manager after four years with the press to become WSUP’s Interim Director that same month, a move that raised more than a few eyebrows given Reeser’s personal relationship with Cawthorne, one predating Cawthorne’s hire at Wayne State University (WSU). Reeser appears to have few direct book publishing credentials in an industry so complex that first-time directors, even interim, often must demonstrate a successful track record of a decade or so.
The three were told only, “We’re moving in a different direction” and that their services were no longer needed, effective immediately. Personal effects, like baby photos of Annie’s daughter, my niece Charley, now 13, didn’t leave with them that day, nor did anyone at WSU invite them to return to their offices or even bother to throw their belongings in a box and ship them over the coming weeks.
So this wasn’t a layoff. This was a firing. A fact made more obvious a week later when WSU announced they were actively searching for replacements for those positions while also spouting platitudes about how they “fully supported the Press.” (Want a quick primer on why university presses are important? This piece says they’re “at the center of the global knowledge ecosystem.”)
Look, I take zero joy or pride in this, but having spent 20+ years working mostly at huge companies with large teams, I’ve had to both lay off and fire people before. A lot. There’s a difference.
My thought process went in this order:
- “Oh my God. Annie must be devastated. She loves her authors like family. And how are they gonna tell Cha? Her mom was fired on the spot with no warning?!”
- “Are they going to be OK for money? That’s an unexpected loss of an income. Let us figure out how we can help if they need it.”
- “Wait wait wait — Tom said this happened HOW? That’s completely insane. That’s a public university, they were strong performers, they got no explanation, they . . . well, something’s rotten in Denmark, and I’m going to figure out what it is.”
Turns out, I didn’t need to take on that task solo, not by a longshot. I’d been asked to keep quiet, but within minutes, respected publishers’ representative, writer, and 2013 Publishers Weekly Rep of the Year, Bruce Joshua Miller, tweeted out the news.
Let me tell you — people were not happy.
And so a community of people who were outraged by Wayne State’s strange actions began to come together.
Some were outraged because they, as authors, signed contracts with WSUP specifically because they trusted these women with works into which they’d poured their hearts and souls. There’s a great thread from University of Mississippi Press Senior Editor Katie E. Keene about how much they put into their work and their commitment to authors.
Some were outraged because they value the somewhat embattled university press system, and this move seemed straight out of a particularly cruel (and, honestly, bush-league) corporate playbook.
Some, like me, were outraged because sure, they may personally love one or more of these people, but what got us was that the way it happened was so highly unusual. For example, no one heard a public peep from me the two times my brother was laid off from private-sector gigs. Things happen. But something was strange here.
Yes, I had a family member involved (a fact I disclose constantly) but I also have a journalism background and experience reporting, writing, and editing investigative stories. I needed answers to my professional questions, which included, in part:
- Why were the fired women, who would come to be known as the WSUP3, given no explanation? What were these vague “personnel issues” the university would cite in statements that were fireable for all three? I get that the university press landscape is changing, and it’s possible they just wanted to go all-digital, but . . . no explanation of that? A carefully crafted statement about a well thought out sea change in the Press’ strategy paired with a glowing thank you for their 54 years of service (and commensurate severance) may have been sad for them and jolting for the university press community, but IMHO, it would have prevented a lot of the backlash WSU received. (I am not totally advocating for this future, but you get my drift.)
- Why would Wayne State University take on an ill-explained action so likely to provoke a public outcry, especially at a time when its president, M. Roy Wilson, appears to be on shaky ground, with basically half the Board of Governors trying to oust him? Did they simply not take into account the reputation of these women in the community? I mean, speaking for the one I know best, Annie — she developed a Made in Michigan series of works by Michigan writers that secured a $1,000,000 endowment, the Press’ largest to date, from the Meijer Foundation. Nowak and Harpster had similar achievements and reputations. Did Cawthorne sell President Wilson and Provost Keith E. Whitfield on tossing these three respected women aside? If so, how did he do that?
- Why did WSU apparently have no clear messaging plan around this? The WSUP3 were still listed on the Press’ website as of late the day after they were fired. Authors who had works under contract with WSUP were hearing about the firings on socials or in the trades; many of them didn’t even receive a generic statement from WSU for days. One such person, first-time author Dr. Kate Browne, got her PhD specifically to get her book, the first scholarly work on The Golden Girls, into the WSUP TV Milestones series that required that accreditation. Her book was scheduled to come out in less than 12 weeks, yet in the days after the firings, she’d heard crickets about what was going on with the book she’d worked so hard to publish. A generic statement published by President Wilson and Provost Whitfield on Friday, February 14, mentioned, in part, that in the short term, the university was “exploring outside contractual services” to fulfill its contractual obligations. As Browne told Deadline Detroit, “Outside contractors didn’t champion my work and they certainly have no stake in it now. I have yet to hear from anyone at WSU Press about what comes next.” (Browne eventually received personal outreach with the status of her book on February 19, nearly two weeks after she found out about the leaders of her WSUP team being fired.)
- Last question: What on earth does come next?
We wanted answers. The WSUP3, WSUP stakeholders, the Wayne State University community (including its donors), and the entire university press community deserved answers. And so, people got to work.
In short order, a campaign by WSUP authors and other supporters came together (I am forever awed by the time and effort so many put in on this front. You know who you are. Drinks on me). What started as a demand for the WSUP3’s reinstatement, signed by authors, journal editors, scholars, series editors, and, later, booksellers associated with the press, was eventually signed by 94 of them, including three former WSUP directors and interim directors who held those positions for a collective 30 years. Eventually posted to a Medium page and paired with media coverage on the firings and subsequent outcry, there was no shortage of new signatories or media coverage.
The Detroit News ran a piece two days post-firings, headlined Wayne State fires three managers in university press shakeup (this is still one of the first things that comes up when you Google their names with Wayne State University Press. Reputation damage much?). Publishers Weekly’s Senior Correspondent, Midwest, Claire Kirch, a longtime publishing industry reporter who covered a situation with the University of Missouri Press years ago that prompted its own public outcry, was on the case and started reporting and publishing articles, including one with the first quote from the WSUP3’s newly retained legal counsel, Jennifer McManus of the firm Fagan McManus.
The coverage of both the firings and, increasingly, the outcry, kept coming. And coming. And coming. The article from Books + Publishing, which covers the book industry in Australia and New Zealand. The article (en Français!) from a similar publication, ActuaLitté in France. As more who supported the university press community heard about the firings, they wanted to cover it. As more Wayne State University and university press communities heard about the firings, they wanted to dig deeper — the Medium page was getting thousands of views. And as more WSUP stakeholders heard about the firings, more wanted to sign the statement of support.
The aforementioned, platitude-packed statement about supporting the Press and the search for replacements, which was issued by President Wilson and Provost Whitfield a full week after the firings, did include two new pieces of information. The Press would no longer report into Dean Jon Cawthorne. Moving forward, the Press would report into the President’s office via Wilson’s Chief of Staff, Michael Wright.
Now, here’s something I didn’t expect: when I mentioned all of this to a close friend who works with a college library, she was enraged when I told her that Cawthorne was President-Elect of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), part of the American Library Association (ALA), and slated to take his seat in July 2020. “What?! Library people already feel that corporate, private interests are derailing the virtue of higher ed. And to have this come from the Dean of LIBRARIES?! [Publishers Weekly reported that WSU confirmed that Dean Cawthorne was the one who terminated the WSUP3.] Supposedly all about access, openness, freedom, transparency?!” Cawthorne was apparently out of the WSUP picture by this point, but it’s not uncommon for ACRL member libraries to house a university press, and he was set to lead their professional organization starting this summer. I can see why the library community would have valid questions. (I reached out to the ALA and the ACLR several times via phone and email for comment; at press time, no one had gotten back to me. Dean Cawthorne did not return my requests for comment by press time, either.)
Back to the memo from President Wilson and Provost Whitfield, which also noted, “Several personnel actions were taken last week that sparked much of this concern. I have reviewed these actions, and while it is inappropriate to discuss personnel matters publicly, I understand the rationale behind them.”
OK, Wayne State: So you’re apparently admitting there’s some type of problem because you’re changing the reporting structure, but you’re not reinstating and apologizing to the WSUP3? (By the way, at this point, it was the WSUP3+1, because their colleague Carrie Teefey, Assistant Managing Editor and Reprints Manager, had resigned in solidarity the Sunday after the firings. This fact was absent from the Wilson/Whitfield letter. She is one of many involved in this story who did very brave things — some public, some private — to right this wrong.)
A lot happened in the following days. I mean, a lot:
- A friend of Interim Director Tara Reeser was brought in to oversee the marketing department despite having no experience in either book sales or marketing. And a former candidate for whom Reeser had lobbied, a very talented writer but lacking the acquisitions experience necessary for the open position, was reportedly asked to step into a role very similar to Annie’s. Full-time offers? “Outside contractual resources”? Not totally clear at the moment, but both raise questions, especially in a university setting that, as I understand it, generally has a very thorough vetting process for these types of hires.
- Interim director Tara Reeser, the one who was part of the firing the WSUP3, resigned shortly after reporting responsibilities shifted from Cawthorne to Wilson and Wright. In an email sent to a list of university press directors, she wrote, in part, “In my own effort to best support the WSU Press, I have decided to step down as interim director at the end of this month. I didn’t expect my time with you all to be so short, but I do truly believe this is the best decision for the Press at this time.” Unfortunate self-own or indication of something bigger going on? (I also reached out to Reeser for comment via phone, email, and Facebook message, but had not heard back from her by press time.)
- A former WSUP interim director, Kathryn Wildfong, came out of retirement to return to the same job for a short-term engagement, presumably to help clean up this mess. I’ve never met her, but I’ve heard glowing things about her from my sister-in-law, brother, and others for years. She is talented and beloved. A former Editor-in-Chief of WSUP, I’ve also heard that she might have more of a creator’s heart than a manager’s heart when it comes to politically complicated situations. As this was seen as a positive development and a possible precursor to the WSUP3 being reinstated — post-firing, Wildfong referred to the WSUP3 as “the heart of the press” in a Detroit News article — Carrie Teefey, the team member who’d resigned in solidarity, rescinded that resignation, as her last scheduled day in the office was rapidly approaching.
- The entire 17-person WSUP Editorial Board issued a statement that led with, “As members of the Wayne State University Press Editorial Board, we are advisors, liaisons, and ambassadors for the Press within the University and beyond. We have and will continue to protest the abrupt firings of Press Staff Annie Martin, Kristin Harpster, and Emily Nowak, and call for their reinstatement. We have registered our complaints with university administration.” The statement noted appreciation for President Wilson’s support of the Press and his decision to have it report into his office under the supervision of Michael Wright, who “assured [them] that he is working to restore trust.” The statement closed with a welcome back to Kathryn Wildfong and optimism for the future — as well as a note that they will “remain vigilant as they advocate for authors, staff, and the community served by the Press.” Message sent.
- On Friday, February 21, Publishers Weekly broke the news (via Tweet) that per their lawyer, the WSUP3 had been reinstated and would return to work the following Tuesday.
I received word of the reinstatement while in Nashville at a major country radio conference, shortly after my company wrapped a giant presentation on which I’d been working for months. The intense home stretch for that presentation had inconveniently coincided with the also-intense WSUP situation, and I was just wiped. As I sat solo at a taco joint and scarfed down some food in an attempt to feel human again, I took a moment to breathe and reflect.
I was happy that the WSUP3 had been reinstated. They love what they do and they wanted to see their projects through.
I was frustrated with Wayne State University. Although the WSUP3 were happy to get back to work and support the community of authors and others who delivered such amazing, vocal, intense support on their behalf, I knew the terms of their reinstatement were far from ideal, or even fair. (Publishers Weekly quoted McManus as saying, in part, “They miss working with their authors. We’re halfway there: they’ve never received an apology, they’ve never received an explanation. . . . While they look forward to returning to work, it doesn’t negate all that they went through since their unexpected and inexplicable termination.”)
I was angry that any of this happened in the first place. The bizarre lack of transparency from WSU, the utter disrespect shown to not only the WSUP3 but their authors and other Press stakeholders and remaining staff, who were pulled in countless different directions during those two weeks, and WSU’s unwillingness to acknowledge what their actions seemed to admit were mistakes (even Wright’s statement to Publishers Weekly post-reinstatement called them “critical employees,” so why were they canned in the first place?) was infuriating.
But mainly, I was overcome with gratitude for the reminder that in a world that can feel particularly bleak these days, there are still ways to fight for what you believe is right and get results.
I took another deep breath, briefly cried into my cerveza, and got back to my tacos. They tasted extra delicious that day.
So where are we now? Well, remember their lawyer’s statement about being “halfway there”? That’s still the case.
In a difficult decision that was made in order to subject WSU to a level of discovery not possible without a full-blown lawsuit, the WSUP3 filed a complaint with the EEOC charging WSU with retaliation and discrimination. As they said in a statement released to Publishers Weekly, “Filing an EEOC complaint charging Wayne State University with retaliation and discrimination is the last thing any of us wanted to do. We are happy to be reinstated, but our firing still hasn’t been explained. Given WSU’s stunning lack of transparency, we feel they left us no choice. We still don’t know why we were fired in the first place…We are not opposed in any form or fashion to working for or hiring African Americans or any other people of color; in fact, the need for further diversity and inclusion in the non-profit sector and publishing in general is a widely discussed issue within the university and the publishing industry. What we are opposed to is our terminations and the subsequent lack of answers from Wayne State University. They refuse to give us any assurances that what happened — and again, we still don’t know what happened — will not happen again, not to us, not to our colleagues, not to our vendors and partners, and not to our authors. We want to hold leadership accountable. We hope our EEOC filing advances a productive conversation.” As Publishers Weekly notes, “the university will now have to provide the three and their lawyer with more information regarding what led to the action.”
Translation: Of course it feels crazy for them, as white women who are very aware of the realities of white privilege and systemic racism, to file an EEOC complaint, but when the only facts they have seem to support a legitimate claim of retaliation and discrimination (which is not the same as racism — “reverse racism” is a myth), and the University refuses to give them any hard facts on fireable offenses that would cause the three of them to be terminated en masse, Wayne State gave them no choice.
I contacted Wayne State University spokesman Matt Lockwood with a list of questions on which I sought comment for this article, including some about the future of the Press that had nothing to do with personnel matters. His response was, “Zena, many of your questions relate to personnel matters, which we do not comment on. And as you may or may not be aware, we have been informed through counsel that they have filed complaints against the university, and since complaints have been filed, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”
I don’t know what the future holds for the WSUP3. I hope they are able to do their jobs to the fullest extent of their ability without interference from an administration that must be sore. I hope they are indeed made whole. I hope they, and the rest of the WSUP team members who were impacted by this — because they were — get some well-deserved rest. And answers.
Zena Burns has held executive positions at iHeartRadio, where she was part of the team that launched the iHeartRadio app and brand, and TEEN PEOPLE Magazine, where she ran all entertainment editorial for the ASME award-winning “baby book” to PEOPLE Magazine. Today, she’s an executive at technology company Futuri Media, Principal of consultancy Moxie Coalition, and a lover of Prince.
