Lerner Publishing Media Lab Opens at the University of Minnesota Honoring Lerner Publishing Group Founder Harry Lerner
MINNEAPOLIS, MN— Lerner Publishing Group is pleased to announce the opening of the Lerner Publishing Media Lab in the recently renovated Pillsbury Hall at the University of Minnesota. The Lerner Publishing Media Lab has been established, via a gift from the Lerner Foundation, in honor of Harry Lerner, who founded Lerner Publishing Group in Minneapolis in 1959. Harry graduated from the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota, along with many other members of the Lerner family including Sharon Lerner (Harry’s late wife and the founder of Carolrhoda Books, one of Lerner’s trade imprints), Sandy Lerner, and Adam Lerner, current Publisher and CEO of Lerner Publishing Group.
The new Lerner Publishing Media Lab is a unique twenty-first-century classroom space that recognizes the importance of technology to the literary arts. The media lab is located in Pillsbury Hall, the new home of the Department of English, the U’s top-ranked Creative Writing Program, and the Liberal Arts Engagement Hub. The grand opening was celebrated with an open house for students, staff, and the public on Friday, September 17, 2021.
The Lerner family has worked closely with the University of Minnesota in many ways over the years. Adam Lerner was critical in launching the Certificate in Editing & Publishing program within the College of Liberal Arts in 2018. Since its inception, every class has been filled. The publishing certificate prepares students for a variety of publishing careers including social media, corporate publishing, books, and magazines. A number of graduates have been hired at Lerner Publishing Group.
“The Lerner Media Lab is a gift to honor my dad and all of his contributions to publishing and also a way to contribute to the bright futures of U of M students,” said Adam Lerner, Publisher and CEO of Lerner Publishing Group. “Minneapolis has always been home to Lerner Publishing Group and we are dedicated to giving back and supporting our community.”
“The establishment of the media lab has been a project 20 years in the making,” said Harry Lerner, Founder of Lerner Publishing Group. “I was proud to start the project with my alma mater and I am so happy to see it open and available to students.”
“The Lerner family has a legacy of supporting the University of Minnesota from medical research, to our libraries that house the renowned children’s literature archive, to our English department’s programs and literary magazines,” said Professor Andrew Elfenbein, chair of the University of Minnesota Department of English. “We are honored that the family has given the gift of the new Lerner Publishing Media Lab to our students.”
In addition to the gift of the Lerner Publishing Media Lab, Adam Lerner is also the Chair of the English Department Advisory Board where he works with community leaders and Minnesota alumni from across the nation that have an interest in keeping the University of Minnesota’s renowned English department one of the best in the nation.
About Lerner Publishing Group
Lerner Publishing Group creates high-quality fiction and nonfiction for children and young adults. Founded in 1959, Lerner Publishing Group is one of the nation’s largest independent children’s book publishers with fifteen imprints and divisions: Lerner Publications, Millbrook Press™, Carolrhoda Books®, Twenty-First Century Books™, Graphic Universe™, Darby Creek™, Kar-Ben Publishing™, Carolrhoda Lab®, LernerClassroom™, Hungry Tomato®, ediciones Lerner, First Avenue Editions™, Lerner Digital™, Zest Books™, and Lerner Publisher Services™.
Media contact:
Lindsay Matvick
Publicity Manager
800-328-4929, x385
lmatvick@lernerbooks.com