When Alberta’s provincial government delivered its budget on February 27, 2020 we learned that the University of Alberta was facing an 11% cut to its budget, following a 6.9% in-year cut last fall.
As a result of these devastating cuts, the university is laying off hundreds of valued employees and UAlberta Press–a unit of the University of Alberta Library – is not exempt. We are heartbroken to announce the layoffs of two remarkable teammates: Mary Lou Roy and Monika Igali.
Mary Lou was one of our Production Editors and was with the Press for 13 years. In that time, she brought dozens of books through our editorial system. The work she did on one of her first projects, People of the Lakes, won her the coveted Tom Fairley Award, a national award for editorial excellence. She is a brilliant and exceptional editor.
Monika, our Marketing and Communications Assistant, was with the Press for 9 years. She was responsible for our catalogue, our award submissions, and much of our social media presence. Most recently, she worked with author Sandra Semchuk to coordinate almost 20 events across Canada for The Stories Were Not Told. She brought her strong work ethic and creativity to all of our projects.
Mary Lou and Monika brought passion and integrity to their work and we appreciate all that they have done to build our dynamic, exciting, resilient Press. They met many challenges and adapted to a great deal of change during their time with the Press. For all of their dedication and efforts, we thank them.
Douglas Hildebrand, Director & Publisher
University of Alberta Press