By Michelle Hillman
HOUGHTON, NY - June 15, 2017 - The Houghton College online bookstore will launch this summer to support its Fall 2017 term, and is projected to save students, on average, more than 30 percent on textbook costs.
The college has partnered with Akademos in order to provide students with lower cost course materials and a highly personalized, user-friendly purchasing experience.
Houghton’s student information system will seamlessly integrate with the Akademos online platform, enabling students to see a personalized listing of the textbooks required for each of their courses and to order books for an entire semester rapidly and efficiently. The Akademos virtual course materials store will give students and faculty complete visibility throughout the textbook purchasing and adoption process.
“Among the core values of a Houghton College education are high quality and affordability,” said Houghton College President Shirley Mullen. “We have chosen Akademos precisely because of their shared commitment to these values. Their innovative online bookstore provides students with the textbooks and course materials they need at significant cost savings.”
The new online bookstore will continue to provide students with a wide selection of course material options to choose from across new, used, marketplace, rental and eBook formats. Students will now be able to use financial aid on all purchases, including deeply discounted marketplace items.
“The Akademos peer-to-peer marketplace substantially reduces the cost of course materials for students by bringing buyers and sellers together in a transparent environment in which new and used books are bought and sold at the true market rate. It is our experience that more affordable and accessible textbooks drive bookstore utilization resulting in more prepared students and, consequently, overall institutional success,” said Akademos CEO John Squires.
Faculty members will be able to compare real-time prices for course materials in multiple formats to choose the best, lowest-cost options for students. Administrators will be able to use analytics to track the textbook adoption process from start to finish, continuing to ensure compliance with federal regulations. The Houghton College Campus Store will use the space previously dedicated to course materials to offer a wider selection of gifts, apparel, and convenience store items for the campus community.
