Board of Regents approves textbook policy

The Board of Regents’ took action at their May meeting to address rising textbook costs. Approval of a new policy gives University System Chancellor Thomas C. Meredith authority to “establish guidelines concerning the designation and sale of textbooks required for coursework at University System of Georgia institutions.”

Several recommendations will be incorporated into the new guidelines including:

• encouraging faculty to identify textbooks in a timely manner to allow students more time and greater flexibility to explore different options for purchase;
• encouraging college bookstores to work more closely with faculty to communicate purchasing deadlines;
• encouraging faculty to consider textbook costs when selecting assigned texts;
• enhancing communications to better inform students on how textbooks will be used in the classroom and the options students have in acquiring books;
• encouraging institutions and bookstores to provide information to students regarding on-line book purchasing and to implement programs to enable students to pursue this option;
• establishing new processes at USG institutions to review bookstore operations and textbook options;
• creating a third-party review process to determine if faculty may use self-authored texts in the classroom;
• exploring how the USG can use its combined purchasing power to leverage lower prices with national publishers; and
• seeking legislative assistance to help reduce the overall cost of textbooks through sales tax exemptions.

The new policy reflects the culmination of a process initiated in 2004, when the Board authorized Chancellor Meredith to create a Textbook Task Force to investigate textbook pricing and to shape recommendations for potential board action. In addition to the task force’s findings, first presented to the board in November 2004, university system officials also held a series of textbook pricing forums at four system institutions in February and April of 2005. These public forums included students, faculty, bookstore managers, and textbook publishing representatives.

The new policy and guidelines should be implemented by fall semester, 2006.

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