From Dateline (November 6, 2003)
Bookstore Program Rewards Departments
for Early Textbook Orders
Airlines offer frequent flyer miles; grocery stores
offer coupon discounts; but who’s ever heard of a university
bookstore that gives student scholarships and store credits to academic
departments simply for turning in textbook requisitions on time?
That’s precisely what Titan Shops has been
doing since fall 1998 when it initiated the Requisition Rewards
Program.
“The success of the program is predicated on
the time-tested principle of rewarding good performance,”
said Jerry Olson, director of Titan Shops. “It’s a win-win
situation for all – students, faculty members and departments.”
If a department turns in 95 percent of its textbook
orders by Nov. 15 (Nov. 17 this year) for spring classes –
or April 15 for the fall semester – Titan Shops guarantees
they will have the textbooks for the first day of classes.
By receiving the orders when they do, Titan Shops
can locate used books, including buying them back from students.
Students receive 50 percent of the original purchase price when
turning in books – which means they actually spent less on
the book – and students going into the classes have the opportunity
to purchase the lower-priced used books.
Ordering the books early also helps Titan Shops and
Disabled Student Services meet the needs of disabled students.
“I can’t stress the importance of this
enough,” said Lisa Thies, Disabled Student Services’
coordinator of support services, who is in charge of developing
alternatives to texbooks. “It can take up to 15 weeks to convert
materials.”
Finally, thousands of dollars in scholarships and
bookstore credits are awarded to students and departments, thanks
to the program. Departments that submit 95 percent or more of their
requisitions by the due date earn $500-$1,000 in store credits and
$500 in student scholarships. Even if they turn in only 80 percent
of their orders, they receive a prorated reward.
Since its inception, Titan Shops has awarded nearly
$250,000 in student scholarships and credits.
“It’s a real incentive for us to get
our orders in on time,” said Phyllis Harn, secretary in electrical
engineering, noting that the funds have been used to support student
award programs.
“It’s wonderful and really works well,”
agreed Dee Schlotzhauer, administrative assistant in management.
“It helped our department buy equipment that we couldn’t
afford otherwise.”
For more information on the program, please call
278-4990.
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