Report 2007-116 Recommendation 16 Responses

Report 2007-116: Affordability of College Textbooks: Textbook Prices Have Risen Significantly in the Last Four Years, but Some Strategies May Help to Control These Costs for Students (Release Date: August 2008)

Recommendation #16 To: University, California State

To ensure that faculty are aware of factors affecting textbook costs, UC, CSU, and the community colleges should issue guidance on the textbook adoption process. In developing this guidance, they should direct campuses to instruct faculty to consider adopting textbooks that are not bundled with supplementary products, unless all the components are required for the course.

60-Day Agency Response

In October 2008 CSU’s executive vice chancellor/chief academic officer distributed an official “coded” memorandum to campus presidents requesting that they distribute a message to all faculty regarding our recommendations and that they renew their message to all faculty at appropriate times in order to remind them each academic term to take actions that may result in lower costs to students for textbooks and learning materials. CSU included a “draft text of a message to faculty regarding textbook affordability” for presidents to use at their discretion in communicating the recommendations in our report that relate to ensuring faculty members are aware of factors affecting textbook costs. (See 2010-406, p. 158)

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Fully Implemented

All Recommendations in 2007-116

Agency responses received after June 2013 are posted verbatim.