This is the edited version of a speech given by Professor Stephen Vasciannie, President of the University of Technology, Jamaica, at the launch of the University of Technology, Jamaica Press on Thursday, February 22, 2018.

The University of Technology, Jamaica Press represents an important effort to enhance research and publications at the university. We need the Press to provide an outlet for university members into the publishing world. Persons in the Caribbean who write books sometimes face challenges in bringing their manuscripts into final book form.

Challenges

Some of these challenges are well known. Perhaps the most significant challenge pertains to market size. The University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech) lecturer who wishes to write a book may be inclined to concentrate on some aspect of Caribbean reality. Indeed, she or he may be encouraged to place emphasis on Caribbean or Jamaican matters by the university or by colleagues in the region.

So, the lecturer goes off and produces a 300-page manuscript, after say, three years of work, in-between teaching, marking, administering, attending meetings, and working on outreach efforts. The lecturer has had to climb a high mountain, but the manuscript is now ready.

What happens next? Well, the scribe now has problems. The typical commercial publisher will be influenced — understandably — by the goal of profit maximisation. Publishing is a business, not a charity, and so, the typical commercial publisher will take up the lecturer’s manuscript if, but only if, there is a market for the book that may arise from the manuscript.

Viability

In deciding whether to publish the manuscript, the publisher will note, for instance, that the manuscript is primarily for the Caribbean. And the publisher may conclude that the number of likely consumers for the book will be too limited to ensure economic viability.

This situation — of limited viability — is also likely to prevail even if the book does not concentrate on the Caribbean. If the book is of general scope, it will, in all likelihood, have to compete in the extra-Caribbean market against other books on the same topic. For the UTech writer starting out, it may be difficult, especially at the outset, to compete profitably against writers from the metropole who have more direct access to a large market.

In short, if you write books exclusively for the Caribbean, the market may be too small, and if you write books for the wider world, the wider world may not, at least initially, be drawn to the book emanating from the hand of a new Caribbean writer. The publisher may therefore opt not to publish the work.

Not always

To be sure, this is not always the case; several Caribbean writers get their work published, and this could cause the critic to challenge my thesis. The critic may point out, for instance, that some publishers in the Caribbean are prepared to publish work if the writer is prepared to offer part-payment for the work to come out.

Similarly, some publishers are prepared to take the risk for certain books, on the assumption that, with the passage of time, sales will be large enough to justify expenditure.

Also, some publishers may take the risk on the assumption that the writer may have a committed market, as may be the case with some primary and secondary textbooks.

Thesis

Even so, however, I believe my thesis still stands. The typical university lecturer may not be in a position to make part-payment — sometimes probably of the order of J$1 million; nor will the lecturer starting out in the world of book publishing normally inspire confidence that his or her book will sell enough copies to break even. And, it is fair to suggest, some University lecturers will want to produce books for University and post-tertiary levels.

So, my thesis stands. Some lecturers get books published, but some may be deterred by the difficulties and costs on the path to publication. This is the context in which the University of Technology, Jamaica Press is being launched. In fact, it is not just the context, it is also the reason for the establishment of the Press.

UTECH Press

The University of Technology, Jamaica Press will seek to publish books not on the basis of likely profitability, but rather with reference to the quality of the work. This is to be its core function: to publish books of good quality.

In pursuing this core function, the Press will seek to promote a culture of research at the University. One corollary is that the Press will aspire to have, as an important priority, publications by faculty and staff at UTech.

Arrangements

In the promotion of quality research, the Press will rely on peer reviewers who will help us to decide whether or not we publish a manuscript. Here, it is anticipated that the Editorial Board will be of special significance.

For some matters falling within their sphere of competence, the members of the Editorial Board may be among the reviewers, while in others, the Editorial Board will assist in suggesting suitable reviewers. At the same time, the members of the Editorial Board may themselves wish to publish books. They will be encouraged to do so in the same way that all UTech staff members are being encouraged.

Because we are driven by the desire to promote research, the Press will seek to absorb the costs of publication. There will be contractual arrangements between writers and the Press, and, these will include the sharing of proceeds from the sale of books. In this regard, there are various models that may be used, as University Presses have long operated in various parts of the world.

Research

Implicit and explicit in the establishment of the Press been the promotion of research. This may prompt the broader question about why so much emphasis is being placed on research. Initiatives that have recently been put in place to promote research include the following, among other things:

We have increased the allocation to the Research Development Fund …

We have amended the arrangements for access to the Research Development Fund to make it easier for persons to apply for, and receive, grants from the Fund;

We have ensured that new researchers will have guaranteed access to a specified sum of money;

We have raised the sum that may be granted to individual projects;

We have established an appeals procedure for access to the Fund;

We have introduced a scheme of incentive payments for persons who publish articles in peer-reviewed journals and books;

And now, we have introduced the Press to provide access for those who wish to publish books from the home base.

Emphasis

Why this emphasis on research and publications? Perhaps I am preaching to the choir, but I should note a few points.

To begin with, we need to stress research and publications because universities exist not only to disseminate knowledge, but also to create knowledge. Research goes to the development of new knowledge and the development of new ways of understanding the realities we face.

Secondly, research is essential for the development of policy perspectives. The Government of Jamaica provides funding to the university and expects that we will contribute to policy positions on a range of matters. This is true for both the scientific and technology fields as it is for the humanities, law, management and other areas of learning.

Understanding

Thirdly, research and publication can help us to demonstrate our senior levels understanding of concepts in various fields, as we seek to apply that understanding in solving various problems in society.

Fourthly, when we undertake research and publish we set a positive example for our students about the importance of scientific investigation and technical analysis. Those very students may be stimulated into solving questions and in pushing forward the frontiers of knowledge, starting with us as role models.

Accordingly, we have a duty to capture the excitement of concentrating on an issue, explaining it, and using our knowledge to develop learning about that issue. This we do through research and publication.

Commitment

On the basis of the foregoing, I recommend that we commit and re-commit ourselves to the research mission of this University. Of course, there are obstacles to enhanced output, but we must work hard to overcome them.

Step by step we should work to improve the standing of the university in various ways. One of the best ways is by raising our research output. As we leave here today we should be thinking about how to complete our research projects or how to start new ones. The University Press is designed to help us along the way. We should press it into service.

Stephen Vasciannie, President of the University of Technology, Jamaica, is a former Jamaica Ambassador to the United States of America and to the Organization of American States.