The University of Michigan Press began operations in 1930 as a quiet administrative function with no grand vision. Before this date, the institution had no organized entity for its scholarly publications, leaving research scattered across conference proceedings and isolated departmental studies.
Frank E. Robbins transformed the University of Michigan Press into a dynamic force by expanding its scope beyond alumni readings to include archaeology, linguistics, and international interests. Robbins held the position until 1954, setting a precedent for editorial independence that allowed the press to evolve from a simple distributor of internal documents into a global publisher of humanities and social sciences.
The University of Michigan Press holds the distinction of being the first entity in the United States to publish English as a Second Language textbooks in 1941. What began as materials created solely by faculty and staff at the English Language Institute has evolved into the MICHIGAN ELT list, a globally recognized brand for English for Academic Purposes and teacher training manuals.
The University of Michigan Press severed ties with the British independent publishing firm Pluto Press in June 2008. The conflict began in 2007 when the press ceased distributing the book Overcoming Zionism by Joel Kovel, which argued that the creation of Israel was a mistake and urged a one-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The University of Michigan Press adopted new guidelines in January 2008 that restricted the press to distributing books only from presses whose missions aligned with its own and whose peer review processes were reasonably similar. This policy shift was a direct response to the events of 2007 and 2008, which had exposed the complexities of balancing academic freedom with institutional responsibility.