Chancellor Holds Textbook Affordability Symposium at Columbus State Community College

Chancellor Eric Fingerhut leads a forum during the Textbook Affordability Symposium. (Photo: Paul Rehg)

Brings together Ohio colleges, universities, and their partners to help find solutions for students throughout the state

Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor Eric D. Fingerhut today convened major stakeholders to help frame an action plan to reduce the cost of textbooks for college and university students across the state.

The cost of textbooks can be a financial barrier to access to college. A key component of Ohio's 10-year strategic plan for higher education, delivered by the Chancellor to the Governor and General Assembly March 31, is making college more affordable.

The symposium at Columbus State Community College included representatives of students, faculty, college presidents, trustees, bookstore managers, business officers, librarians, educational technology innovators, and textbook publishers. The Chancellor invited representatives from Ohio’s public and private colleges and universities, and requested that each delegation report findings from the day’s proceedings to their faculty, administration, and student body leadership.

"The issue of rising textbook costs is a concern for students, parents, administrators, faculty, campus bookstores and others in the higher education community," said Chancellor Fingerhut. “Key individuals from University System of Ohio colleges and universities, as well as Ohio’s private college partners, are sharing ideas and practices on what they are currently doing to make textbooks more affordable and to also explore additional ideas for lowering textbook costs for all college students across Ohio."

Chancellor Fingerhut delivered keynote remarks on opportunities to leverage the University System of Ohio’s network of universities and colleges to help reduce costs and to investigate 21st century solutions. He called for the exploration of a system-wide group purchasing program and digital marketplace, and asked for a commitment from University System of Ohio colleges and universities to take short-term and long-term steps in the 2008-09 academic year to help find solutions for students.

Symposium attendees also learned of recent studies and discussed existing practices and proposed initiatives that can reduce textbook costs. Participants shared information on student, faculty, bookstore, library and publisher-led practices and initiatives currently employed in Ohio to help ease textbook costs for students. Some of the examples cited included textbook rental programs, faculty textbook adoption policies, textbook library reserve programs, and digital, interactive alternatives to traditional textbooks.