To celebrate a century of anything is a remarkable achievement; to celebrate 100 years of sharing information, scholarship, and even well-crafted entertainment is an even higher accomplishment.

The University of Minnesota Press (UMP) achieved its century mark this year. Because of its efforts, nearly 5,000 books have come into being—making their way into the marketplace to advance scholarship and jostle and compete in the universe of ideas. As a nonprofit publishing entity designed to help writers share wise thinking, insights, and reflections on an almost unparalleled variety of subjects, the UMP contributes to a better, more informed society in myriad ways.

I’ve been musing on the deep and sometimes unsung importance of entities like the UMP recently. We may read simply to relax, but we also read to inform or challenge what we believe, why we believe it, or even to change our mind about something we thought in the past.

Books are key to all that. They let us further our understanding on important issues or feel surprising emotions or contemplate novel ideas. They help us as a society knit ourselves into a cohesive whole by proffering vetted information that advances knowledge for the group at large. They are the paper-and-ink version of a beckoning nod from a friend, paired with a promise to “show you something cool.”

Books, and their logical extension, education, always matter.

It’s not a newsflash: Today, universities and colleges are facing a situation that is unprecedented, to use a white-hot word so doggedly overworked that it’s fast losing its shine.

The landscape underneath higher education is moving. We’re seeing attempts to change the very fabric of the research funding that underlies important discoveries. Misinformation and disinformation swirl through social media channels. Long-accepted, science-backed tenets, like those on vaccines, are teetering.

At times like these, it’s critical to remember that knowledge matters. Education matters. Cutting-edge research matters. And reasoned, reflective discourse that twines in and around all those three lodestars matters more than ever.

P.S. On another note, this is my last issue as the editor of Minnesota Alumni. After an exceptional six years here and countless stories, I’ve decided it’s time to pass the baton and pursue some personal projects that I’ve put on the back burner for too long. It’s been an honor to share some time with each of you every issue and to celebrate the vibrant alumni community and all things U of M.

Kelly O’Hara Dyer can be reached at ohara119@umn.edu.

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