MI employee replies to DCP's rumorspreading over at MDDB

[_Uther]

Carl Griffin replies to Daniel C. Peterson

DCP predicts the gloom and doom of the Maxwell Institute in post #11.
Carl Griffing replies in post #19.

Where to from here DCP?
Apostacy or repentance?

[_Stormy Waters]

Since I believe some people who might be interested in this have been banned from MD&D I will provide the posts here.

My friend Paul Hoskisson is still the editor of the Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture. He's done a good job, but I've heard rumors that there's not much in the pipeline for future issues.

My friend Brian Hauglid has nearly a year to produce a new issue of Studies in the Bible in Antiquity. We'll see what happens at that point.

The Mormon Studies Review (formerly the FARMS Review) has been suspended. It may or may not ever reappear. No new editor or group of editors has been named.

A book by Jim Faulconer was just published, but it had been in the works for a long time.

John Sorenson's Mormon's Codex is now, I'm told, at the press. But it had been in the works for even longer.

Are there any other books in the offing for the immediate future? None that I know of, although I do know of a planned volume. (It was already being planned at least two years ago.)

The future of the Maxwell Institute as a presence among Church members is, I think, quite obscure right now.

Very sad. Completely unnecessary.

But The Interpreter Foundation is flourishing.

And the response.

Hi, all. First time poster, and here in something of a business capacity as an employee of the Maxwell Institute. Since we’re receiving email inquiries about this thread, asking specifically about Dan’s post above (#11), I thought it might be helpful to address some of these points right here at the source. We’ve also been asked about rumors of layoffs and whether we are experiencing financial difficulties. Those rumors also are said to come from this board, but I’m not sure from what threads. The following is from the body of the email reply we’re sending out:

(1) We’re not planning any changes for the Journal and, as you can see from the last issue, it’s never been stronger. I don’t have the benefit of Dan’s unnamed sources and have never heard any such rumors. But I fact-checked Dan’s information with the Journal’s editor, Paul Hoskisson, and Paul says submissions are as strong as ever.

(2) As we said in our public statement last year, we are approaching the relaunch of the Review deliberately, and have set no timetable, but will announce the new editor as soon as one is appointed. Since last summer, we’ve met personally with more than a dozen leading Mormon Studies scholars to discuss the editorship and editorial direction of the new journal. And since this is a university journal, all prospective candidates for editor have required the vetting and approval of the university administration as well as, for BYU faculty, college approval. So this is not a fast process, but I can tell you that we are very far along with it.

(3) We currently have (by my count) 27 books in our editorial pipeline. These are all titles that have been accepted for publication, and more proposed titles are pouring in. Two more manuscripts have come under review just this past week. I have a full page, front and back, of proposed titles that came out of a single lunch meeting with a group of scholars last week. However, our publishing resources are modest and we have a number of priorities to balance. In addition to our journals, newsletter and website, we have launched an initiative to republish our entire back catalog, both books and periodicals, in modern digital formats. This is requiring a heavy editorial investment. Even so, I expect we will publish at least 6-7 new books this year, though we only announce specifics on our titles at the time of publication.

(4) I can confirm that we just laid off two staff members, but as with all employment matters, we are unable to share the particulars with the public. Our finances, as is the case for the rest of the university, are also confidential. But I can tell you that, unlike most other units, the university only covers about one-third of our costs, and the rest of our budget we have to raise through fundraising. Thus we always have to deal with financial insecurity. Since staffing represents most of our annual costs, our staffing has often been adjusted over the years, usually downward. However, I’m pleased to say that we have just hired a new Public Communications Specialist, Blair Hodges, who will be starting with us tomorrow (Feb. 11).

I’ve just jumped onto the board to help address the questions raised here, so I won’t be participating in any discussion. But anyone with questions like these is welcome to contact me or Blair Hodges anytime at the Maxwell Institute

[_The Mighty Builder]

Ah yes, arguing over the trivial details of Middle Earth.

[_Yoda]

Thanks for posting this Stormy.

What have the comments been like?

[Guest]

We currently have (by my count) 27 books in our editorial pipeline. These are all titles that have been accepted for publication, and more proposed titles are pouring in.

I find this passage amusing.

(Twenty seven books in the editorial pipeline - really?)
(More proposed TITLES pouring in?)

It gives one little confidence that things are going to be much better in terms of actual production than they were before DCP was fired. If I were an investor in a (very) small publishing company and saw such a statement in a corporate report, I would sell in a heartbeat.

_________

ETA: Post edited in response to Kishkumen's post below.

[_sock puppet]

Now that DCP is on the outs at NAMIRS, he's into false rumor mongering.

Too bad DCP's informants about NAMIRS are not as reliable as Dr Scratch's have proven to be.

[_Stormy Waters]

Thanks for posting this Stormy.

What have the comments been like?

So far just a couple comments wishing the Maxwell Institue well.

[_The Dude]

Too bad DCP's informants about NAMIRS are not as reliable as Dr Scratch's have proven to be.

[_Res Ipsa]

It's always a bit of a shock to realize that the world keeps on turning whether you are on it or not.

[_lulu]

I wish the Maxwell Institute well, and hope that it prospers, even with its "new direction."

We'll see what happens within the next year or two.

The Maxwell Institute sits on considerable funds that have been raised over the past decades, and I expect that it should be able to do things with those funds.

It also has a library of already-produced books and articles and other materials that totals in the tens of thousands of pages, produced since the late 1970s. That in itself will make for an impressive on-line presence.

Carl, I don't want to be skeptical, but I am.

Besides Sorenson's book which has been in the works for years--

1- How many books does NAMI have that have been accepted for publication and are currently in production? What are their titles?

2- How many completed manuscripts have been accepted for publication? What are their titles?

There is nothing confidential whatsoever about books under production, nor manuscripts that have been accepted for publication. There is no reason you can't give us their authors and titles.