The full cost of books and supplies is now included in the price of Villa Maria College’s tuition. This unprecedented announcement removes a major barrier to student success – the hidden cost of textbooks, art supplies, medical supplies, and more.
“Students come to Villa Maria to prepare for successful futures and to fine-tune their innate talents, not to worry about the ever-increasing cost of books and supplies,” said Dr. Matthew Giordano, the president of Villa Maria College. “Building these costs directly into tuition allows our students to focus on meeting their goals and discovering their paths instead of worrying about paying for textbooks or shopping around for the best deal.”
To ensure all students receive the books and supplies they need, the College has partnered with one of the top providers of textbooks in the nation. “Many books will be offered electronically and will be seamlessly delivered to students through D2L, Villa Maria’s learning management system,” said Dr. Ryan Hartnett, the College’s vice president for academic affairs. “Supporting our students in all facets, personal and academic, has always been Villa Maria’s top priority. We will make arrangements to meet the needs of any student who needs a specialty textbook or a specific accommodation. The library will have a fleet of e-readers available for student use and some physical books will still be available.”
This change makes it possible for all students to have access to their books and supplies without the hassle of shopping around for the lowest price. “It’s become more common for college students to share textbooks with one another in order to decrease the per person cost,” Dr. Hartnett continued. “That may be beneficial financially, but it means they only have access to those resources half of the time. And even more often, students will wait to see if they can get by in a class without a textbook to eliminate paying for it all together. This is another cost saving tactic that makes it harder for students to succeed in the long run. By providing an equitable access model for books and supplies, we are eliminating that worry and making it possible for all students to have all of their own books and supplies, in their hands, on the first day of class.”
Key highlights of the new book program include:
- Students will no longer have to spend their valuable time and money shopping for books and supplies each semester.
- Books needed for each class will be automatically available to students through the College’s learning management system, D2L. Students won’t need to shop around and spend out of pocket money for a book or most supplies, they will simply pick up what they need at the start of each semester.
- Supplies for nearly all classes, including art and health science classes, will also be provided to students at the beginning of each semester.
- The College’s physical bookstore will go away, and various campus entities will replace the services the store provided. Snacks and supplies will be available in the campus dining hall, and College merchandise will be available in the admissions area of Felician Hall.
- Many books will be delivered electronically and can be read online on computers, tablets and phones. Some physical copies of books will be available too.
“It’s great that Villa cares enough to include books with tuition,” said Markisha Harris, an interior design student at the College. “It will be really nice to focus on doing my best work instead of having to search a bunch of different websites in hopes of finding the cheapest book price.”
