The Perfect Time to Launch EA

by Dan Angelo

While there isn’t a “perfect time” to launch a course-materials delivery program such as equitable access, the sooner the better is probably the best way for the campus store to look at it.

In fact, getting started as soon as possible is exactly the best time, according to panelists for the “Timing is Everything: Choose the Best Launch Window for Your Day One Access Program” presentation at CAMEX26 in Phoenix, AZ. There are decisions to be made and putting them off could mean they never get done.

“Our timing was interesting,” said Anthony Sanders, associate director, Wolfpack Outfitters, North Carolina State University, Raleigh. “Basically, our administration finally bought what I had been trying to pitch to them for 10 years. We finally got the right people in place to understand what was going on and that this was a good thing for our students.”

NC State launched its Course Ready program in the spring of 2025. Parker Smith, buyer, course materials, Utah Valley University Bookstore, Orem, told the audience the Wolverine Access program also launched for the Spring 2025 semester, while the GrinnBooks program was launched for the Fall 2025 semester, according to Cassie Wherry, manager, Pioneer Bookshop, Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA.

“That was our natural time to do changes because we don’t have a lot of summer programs,” Wherry said. “What was really important was we’ve had inclusive access for probably four years and all the technology was in place. So, when it came to time to think about an EA program, I could say we’ve got the technology in place and all we have to do is flip the switch.”

The UVU store decided to launch its program once the contract with a lease operator had expired, according to Smith.

“That was why it was going to be the spring of ’25, whether we liked it or not,” he said. “We did like it. We actually liked it quite a lot. We wanted to do it, we decided to do it, and we were excited to go independent again.”

There are plenty of issues with making the switch, from getting campus buy-in to coordinating with the institution’s technology department to get the program up and running smoothly. Some other issues for Sanders at NC State were the difference in the way course materials would be purchased, pricing of digital course materials, information on opt-out rates, and adoption creep, to name a few.

“We tried to include as much as possible, including simulations, software products, and ed tech companies,” Sanders said. “If your thinking about doing this, those companies are going to come out of the woodwork, and you won’t know what those costs are, so if you’re thinking about pricing, be sure to build in as big of a buffer as you think you might need, and then maybe go a little further.”

One thing that was a must for Wherry at Grinnell was getting the faculty to trust the store. She also had to reassure the library that its acquisition budget would not be affected by the equitable access program, in addition to working with IT.

“I would say we over-engineered everything,” she said. “We wanted nothing to be left out by chance. There are so many things that you can’t anticipate, that if you’ve got everything all nailed down, something will come up that you didn’t anticipate, but we had time to handle it.”

Getting the word out to everyone involved can also be tricky. Starting early is fine, but as every campus store manager knows, students tend to ignore emails all together, so for that reason alone, it’s hard to gauge exactly when to begin the messaging. Administrators, faculty, and staff may not be much better when it comes to reading their emails.

“No matter how far out you start communicating about your program, be ready to do most of the communications two weeks before it starts because nobody’s paying attention,” Wherry said. “You have to pick up those people who weren’t paying attention and really push that information at them at the last minute.”

Perhaps the biggest question to consider is whether the book store is a profit center or a service to the campus. The profits of the store will change with an access model in place, but the need to help students and faculty work through any issue of digital course materials and its delivery is real.

“I think it takes on a new form because, while more likely than not, the profits will be there when you launch this program, it comes with service responsibilities that were way heavier than I think I was ready for,” Smith said. “You’re really going to become an IT department because you will be doing IT support for students and faculty. You’re going to be doing a little bit of the job of the bursar’s office. You’re suddenly accountable for so many support questions that wasn’t the case before, at least not at our store.”

“Make sure that you err on the side of advocating for the students, no matter how ridiculous their excuse might seem,” Sanders added. “But also take the opportunity to educate them at the same time. The same goes with faculty when they forget their adoptions. It happens, but bend over backwards to try and help them and to win the hearts and minds of your campus. Be that champion.”