The Fed wants to curb textbook costs

New Rule to Curb Textbook Costs Irks Some Professors - Faculty - The Chronicle of Higher Education

The article is a little irritating, but probably not for the reasons you might think. Did you know that our U.S. federal government passed an updated version of the infamous Higher Education Act of 1965? It is known as [start drum roll, pause for 10 seconds, use vocal processor to lower voice and provide digital delay and large, cavernous reverb, and speaketh loudly]

"The Higher Education Opportunity Act - 2008 (Public Law 110-315)"

[end drum roll, supply optional crash cymbal]. You may refer to this along with a wide range of information on the government's involvement in the entire education process at the U.S. Dept of Education.

OK, if you know me, then you probably already know that I am extremely cynical when it comes to politics and government, particularly with its involvement in education in our country. (We'll leave the obvious jokes that can be made by observing who was president when this passed.) But, take a look at the act -- here is a text version of it: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_cong_public_laws&docid=f:publ315.110. And remember, this is only a series of amendments to the original 1965 act.

You understood it all, right? Granted, it's not too hard to sift through and infer that a large majority of the act does not apply directly to professors as much as it does to, say, the financial aid office. And, some of it definitely has some merit. After all, the growth of the cost of higher education in this country is completely out of line with the growth of the cost of living for the average family. Therefore, I do believe that the act is attempting to put forth some much needed help and protections on the part of students. That is important. I am not a fan of the modern "college for everyone" mentality. College is most certainly not for everyone. However, I am a fan of making sure that those students that SHOULD be in college can do so without owing their lives in the process. Also, we need good, honest material to help students choose the colleges that are most suitable for them and their interests and goals. This act attempts to address some of these shortcomings. (Notice, I'm not saying the act does a good job at doing so!)

Back to the original topic. What part of the act applies to us professors? Forget trying to sift through all of the material. Though, here is the basis directly from the act that the original article posted above refers to:

‘‘SEC. 133. TEXTBOOK INFORMATION

‘‘(a) PURPOSE AND INTENT.—The purpose of this section is to

ensure that students have access to affordable course materials

by decreasing costs to students and enhancing transparency and

disclosure with respect to the selection, purchase, sale, and use

of course materials. It is the intent of this section to encourage

all of the involved parties, including faculty, students, administrators,

institutions of higher education, bookstores, distributors, and

publishers, to work together to identify ways to decrease the cost

of college textbooks and supplemental materials for students while

supporting the academic freedom of faculty members to select high

quality course materials for students.

Then, what follows are pages of definitions such as "bundle", "college textbook", "course schedule", and "publisher". Oh, and notice the wording above -- it is the intent to encourage the seven listed parties to work together. Isn't it good that we have such a good example from our government of just two parties working together? (I'm really trying to keep my cynicism at bay!!!) At least we have our academic freedom to select high quality course material. Phew!

I found a decent summary of the textbook requirement on the American Council of Education's web site:

Effective July 1, 2010, institutions will be required to disclose in their course schedules, “to the maximum extent practicable,” the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) of every required and recommended textbook and supplemental materials and retail price information. Lacking accurate information about the ISBN number at the time the course schedules are set, the institution is permitted to indicate that this information is “to be determined.” Publishers are required to provide faculty with information on price, copyright dates of the three previous editions, any substantial revisions between a new edition and prior iterations, whether the textbook is available in any other format and at what price and to supply textbooks in bundled and unbundled formats.

Refer to http://www.acenet.edu/e-newsletters/p2p/ACE_HEA_analysis_818.pdf for their entire document. It is an excellent summary of what everyone needs to know. Essentially, it is mostly putting a burden on us to keep our own act together and not procrastinate these choices until the last minute like so many of us do. If you are a looking to be a professor in this country, regardless of whether you are pursuing a position in a public or private institution, you should, minimally, be aware of this act, and be aware that our government is definitely getting more involved in higher education beyond K-12... for better or for worse... whether you like it or not.