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A partnership between the University of Nebraska's Information Technology Services, academic affairs and libraries has been awarded a grant of $84,000 from Women Investing in Nebraska (WIN) to support a program that helps to reduce the costs students incur for textbooks and other learning resources. The program provides access to open educational resources – digital materials available freely or at reduced cost – as well as assistance for faculty members who seek the appropriate academic materials for their classes at lower costs for students.

The Inclusive Access and Open Educational Resources Program began in 2017 with a series of initial grants from the university and has saved students an estimated $2.5 million.

The grant was announced in an online celebration Oct. 20 with WIN members and guests from across the state. In addition to the grant from WIN, the University of Nebraska Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost will match the grant with another $84,000 to support the program. With this combined support, its estimated the program will reach its goal to save students and families $10 million by 2023.

"This is such an exciting program for us, one that we are so eager to rally around even more with this additional funding, because it's all about the students," said Jaci Lindburg, NU assistant vice president for IT strategy and learning technology. "First, of course, it impacts their ability to be successful in a class, because they have access to the materials they need in the course to complete readings, assignments and exams. The cost savings also allow students to redirect these funds to take additional courses they need toward their degrees."

The opportunity to support a program that would benefit so many University of Nebraska students appealed to WIN members, said WIN Grants Committee Chair Cassie Kohl about the grant awarded.

"This project was specifically exciting for WIN, because it involves three campuses - the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Nebraska at Kearney and the University of Nebraska at Omaha," Kohl said. "One of the goals of WIN is to reach as much of the state with our dollars as possible. In addition, with the pandemic and a lot of the world switching to remote options, this is a very timely issue and solution."

In 2018, the average U.S. college student paid about $1,200 a year for standard textbooks according to College Board, and Lindburg said about two-thirds of college students are not buying the textbooks they need because of high costs. With the University of Nebraska program, a student's personal financial responsibility for textbooks could drop below $40 per class and provide immediate access to course materials each semester.

WIN engages, educates and empowers philanthropists by collectively awarding annual grants to bold University of Nebraska and nonprofit initiatives addressing important issues in Nebraska. It operates in partnership with the University of Nebraska Foundation and the UNF Charitable Gift Fund to support women philanthropists. Each year, members' gifts are pooled and divided equally between a Nebraska nonprofit organization and a University of Nebraska program or organization. To learn more, visit .