Kennesaw State bookstores predict that students will save thousands of dollars in Fall 2019 thanks to an initiative to help make textbooks and other course materials more accessible on campus.
The project, titled “Day One,” has been in the works since 2013, and University Store Associate Director Kimberly Holland said that the initiative has saved students thousands of dollars.
The project has expanded from only accounting materials to materials for 60 courses that serve more than 2,500 students. Holland said that she expects the initiative to expand even further next fall, explaining that more textbooks and course materials will be more accessible to students.
“University Stores is always looking for ways to offer the most affordable course material to students so they never compromise their education by deciding against purchasing course material,” University Stores Associate Director Kimberly Holland said.
Despite initial plans for increasing affordability and student savings, Holland said that a major obstacle offset the implementation of the program.
“We needed to bring together key stakeholders from a variety of departments to ensure we’re complying with federal and state regulations,” Holland said.
In response, Holland and her team worked individually with each department to work out the logistics for each department impacted.
Holland said that using Day One Access while working with faculty and staff made implementation easier for the team, and she said that more students now know and understand more about the initiative.
Holland and her team intend to continue expanding Day One Access to other courses within KSU, as well as continuing to lower prices of materials for students.
“We are excited to see many years of work come into fruition, and the results are fantastic,” Holland said. “We have been able to save students more than $146,000 in Spring 2019 alone, and seeing that number, while expecting it to grow, gives us even more pride and confidence in what we have been able to accomplish so far for our student body.”
Holland said that money used on materials from the bookstore is reinvested 100 percent back into the campus for student facilities, programs and projects that benefit the student community.
