Photo by Bill Green Mount St. Mary’s bookstore is stocked with new and used textbooks. Beginning in January, community college graduates will receive free books for their two years at the Mount.

That expense doesn't stop with tuition. Some hidden costs continue to rise as well, and these often come as a shock when the bill comes in.

Count textbooks among them.

The cost of books has long been a concern on college campuses. Thomas H. Powell, president of Mount St. Mary's University, says he has seen much discussion, but little action.

Tired of the talk, Powell has taken matters into his own hands. Beginning in January, community college graduates will receive free books for their two years at the Mount.

The economic crisis has hit higher education on many fronts. Near-record unemployment has hamstrung many parents' efforts to send their children to college. That unemployment also translates into decreased income tax revenue at all levels of government, causing cuts to many public services.

"The economic situation is sending more and more students to community colleges for the affordable tuition," Powell said.

In what may sound like support for a competitor, Powell said he wants community college students to stay there until they get their degrees.

"We in Frederick County are blessed to have a community college the caliber of Frederick Community College," Powell said. "It's a first-class operation."

Mount administrators have discussed how they can attract those two-year college graduates.

"While we were thinking about how to make those transfer students feel comfortable and welcome here at the Mount, we asked ourselves, can we also attack other problems as we work to welcome (them)?" Powell said.

A major problem is the cost of books, which averages $800 a year, Powell said.

"So we came up with a deal. É If you went to a community college and have an associate's degree in hand, come here, and you won't pay for a single book for the two years it takes to get your bachelor's degree."

An old problem

In the past, students either had to pay the prices in campus bookstores, search for used copies or depend on library loaners to keep up with assigned reading.

"I think what's causing this great discussion to surface now is the many more resources that are available and more places for students to get books," Powell said.

Discount outlets such as Amazon.com and the proliferation of electronic media and used bookstores have changed the playing field. Students -- and professors -- have more options beyond a hardbound book that can cost more than $100.

"This is an old, old problem that has been talked about for years," Powell said. "And the problem isn't with the authors, or the university, or the bookstore, but the publishers."

Texts are revised constantly; new editions of the same titles are released so often that prior editions are obsolete as early as the semester after they were bought. The revisions made are often so minor, Powell said, that they don't significantly alter the instructional value of the new book -- or devalue the old one.

"We always have families and students asking, 'Why are the books so expensive?' and 'Why can't we use last year's books?' Powell said. "And we don't have an answer for them."

Another new publishing trend is to bundle textbooks with materials such as DVDs, study guides and sample tests, thus driving up the price.

A team effort

Frederick Community College President Carol Eaton said she was excited about the Mount's book offer for community college graduates.

FCC faculty members are equally concerned about textbook costs.

Proportionally, community college students are hit much harder by these costs. Most are drawn to their schools by the affordable tuition, but they pay the same book prices as their four-year school counterparts.

A Government Accountability Office report shows that, in 2003-04, the average estimated cost of books and supplies for a first-time, full-time student at a public, four-year school was $898. That's equal to about 26 percent of tuition and fees paid.

At two-year schools, that average estimated cost was $886 -- nearly 75 percent of tuition and fees.

FCC students have several options, Eaton said.

"We have a textbook rental pilot program that we're trying. The bookstore buys the books and then rents them to students."

To ensure success, many faculty members have agreed to use the same textbook for several semesters.

"We don't want to run ourselves out of business," Eaton said. "We have to have the books pay for themselves."

Other teachers write their own textbooks or resources and make them available to students at cost. One teacher wrote a Fundamentals of Math text made up of handouts given to students who pay just the printing cost.

Work in progress

While the problem of textbook costs seems universal, college leaders see a menu of potential solutions.

Powell believes universities should buy books and make them available to students, as K-12 public schools do.

Some texts could be used for four, five or six years, he said. "That would be impossible in some subjects, like biological science courses or computer science, but it is possible for many subjects."

Schools could also make resource material available online for a limited time -- usually 16 weeks for a semester -- for a subscription fee. Students would get to the information for the semester, then access would expire. This method would also conserve natural resources, Powell said.

Or teachers can choose not to assign a specific text, but to provide instructional materials throughout the semester.

"The last couple of times I've taught courses, I've deliberately not assigned a textbook," Powell said. "There are many resources available to teachers -- and many of them are more current than any textbook could be."

Some subjects are known for their high book costs, said David Rehn, the Mount's vice president for academic affairs.

"Here at the Mount, a handful of books cost from $100 to $120. By far, the majority are $60 or below, and there are many $10 and below."

Math, science, foreign language and business law are among the subjects with notoriously expensive texts, he said.

"I recently received a phone call from a parent who expressed surprise at that $800 price tag for her son's fall book list," Rehn said. "That's a lot of money to pay for books."

The community college transfer book program was a collaborative effort, Rehn said. After cabinet members discussed ideas, a draft proposal was shared with faculty members, who were encouraged to provide feedback.

"We implemented some of that feedback and arrived at the program we have now," Rehn said.

Students eligible for the free book deal will be tracked through registration, he said.

"We'll prepackage their books for them. All they'll have to do is pick them up."

Leveling the field

Powell thinks colleges and universities can help change the textbook market by replacing individual students as the customer.

"If the college becomes the buyer, then it has more power," Powell said. "If I'm buying 400 copies of a book, that changes the conversation."

Many hurdles still exist, Powell believes.

"We haven't yet joined the national discussion about who selects the texts," he said. "There are too many choices -- you don't need 40 or 60 or 100 textbook choices."

Powell and his colleagues across the country need to spearhead the change to this culture, he said.

"We're willing to take the leadership -- to assist families when it's expensive enough as it is to attend college, without making books so much more of an additional expense."

Powell is candid about why he thinks books are so expensive and so often revised.

"You know why that is?" he said. "The publishers' boat payments are expensive -- they hold the students hostage so they can make those boat payments.

"I'm tired of talking about this -- it's time to stop revving the engine and put it in gear."