Regents approve recommendations
to hold down textbook costs

The Arizona Board of Regents approved a set of 10 recommendations to minimize the rising costs of textbooks at its meeting June 21 at Northern Arizona University.

The three university presidents also supported the ABOR effort to hold the line on increasing textbook costs.

The recommendations are the result of an evaluation of textbook costs by a task force appointed in September 2006 by regents Ed Hermes and Gary Stuart. The task force included representation from the students and faculty at the universities.

The cost-saving measures developed by the task force include establishing a uniform deadline before the buy-back period for textbook orders to generate the highest return to students for used textbooks and conducting a feasibility study on using the University of Arizona Press to publish lower-division general education textbooks common to the state universities.

Marcus Ford of NAU, chair of the Arizona Faculties Council and member of the textbook task force, supported the recommendations but expressed doubt about the idea of having common general education textbooks printed for the three state universities.

"I'm not sure the feasibility study will support this," Ford said, noting the likely lack of consensus among faculty at the universities on how best to teach a course and which textbook best suits that method.

Kathe Shinham, NAU vice president for Administration and Finance, said that because NAU is the only state university that has outsourced its bookstore operations, the university will be working with Follett Higher Education Group on implementation plans. Shinham said that NAU already was able to increase by 40 percent the number of book orders placed by the start of buy-back this past year.

During the ABOR meeting, President John Haeger had an opportunity to address the regents about regional accreditation of higher education and the national debate on accountability.

"Secretary Spellings has had some bones to pick with universities," said Haeger of U.S. Department of Education Secretary Margaret Spellings.

Spellings' Commission on the Future of Higher Education has criticized the accreditation of higher education for not ensuring quality and comparability in undergraduate education across institutions.

"Spellings wants to federalize accreditation," Haeger said, which would transfer responsibility for defining and judging quality in higher education from institutions and accrediting agencies to the federal government.

Consequently, Haeger said, "We have to make higher education affordable, accountable and accessible. Higher education has to be more attuned to transparency to the public."

In other business, the regents authorized NAU to implement a new master of science in engineering, which would be offered beginning in fall 2008.

The regents also approved the addition of a $20 million utility infrastructure upgrade project to NAU's capital development plan. The board further authorized the university to sell bonds to finance the new residence hall on central campus and the expansion of dining facilities at the University Union. Both projects are expected to be completed by fall 2008.

The Arizona Board of Regents also approved the calendar for setting tuition and fees. The regents are scheduled to vote on tuition, differential tuition, program fees and class fees at the Dec. 6-7 ABOR meeting in Tempe.