The University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) and Ambassador Education Solutions today announced a partnership naming Ambassador as the University’s new online bookstore provider for course materials. After an extensive request for proposal process, Ambassador was selected to serve UAA students, faculty and staff with a comprehensive, enhanced, online bookstore experience, including Inclusive Access management and fulfillment. Launching this fall, UAA’s new online bookstore will streamline course materials adoption, management, delivery, and access while enabling students and the University to save time and money.
“Affordability was a primary objective in our search for a new course materials partner. We wanted a solution that could help reduce course materials costs, but at the same time we didn’t want to sacrifice ease-of-use, innovation and support,” said David Weaver, Executive Director for Campus Services, University of Alaska Anchorage. “Ambassador stood out both for its financial value, as well as its operational value. Ambassador’s technology is second to none in terms of usability, transparency and scalability. Ambassador thinks outside the box when it comes to cost saving strategies and they have an excellent reputation for service.”
Ambassador is creating an online bookstore operation for course materials that aligns its technology and services with UAA’s focus on promoting students’ academic and personal success. The online bookstore, which will be branded to UAA, connects students to their personalized list of course materials where they can choose from new, used, digital and rentals, as well as any other required supplies, kits and more. Ambassador also will make Inclusive Access materials automatically available to students by the first day of class.
The online bookstore will allow students to easily find, compare and order course materials anytime, anywhere from their computers or mobile devices, and they can apply multiple payment types and view their financial aid balance. Ambassador will ship items direct to students or to UAA campuses for easy student pick-up, and the company will facilitate all returns and buybacks.
For faculty, Ambassador will ease course materials adoption, helping them understand affordability rankings and choose formats. Ambassador’s online workflow tool will allow faculty to easily submit requests and get approvals in a timely manner. For UAA staff and IT, Ambassador does all the heavy lifting, managing and maintaining integrations with the University’s SIS, LMS and publisher platforms; streamlining operations; and delivering analytics so UAA has full visibility into course materials usage, costs and financial return.
“We are really excited to work with the UAA team – they understand the evolving role of a course materials provider and they have a great vision for how they want to support their students, faculty and staff,” said Steven M. Blicht, CEO of Ambassador Education Solutions. “We will work with UAA to simplify course materials processes by leveraging our course materials platform, RODA, and increase access to affordable options. We will make sure students have the resources they need as together we strive to support productive learning experiences.”
About Ambassador Education Solutions
For decades, Ambassador has made course materials simple, effective and affordable. From print and digital to OER, devices and more, Ambassador eases course materials adoption, management, delivery and access. Ambassador’s Course Materials Platform, RODA, integrates with leading SIS, LMS, financial systems, eBook readers, publishers and digital content platforms. RODA connects students with affordable course materials, streamlines operations for schools and eases account management and reconciliation for publishers, all through one easy-to-use platform. Schools and publishers trust Ambassador to improve course materials accessibility, lower operational and financial risks, and deliver usage and cost transparency. For more information, please visit AmbassadorEd.com.
About University of Alaska Anchorage
The University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) transforms lives through teaching, research, community engagement and creative expression in a diverse and inclusive environment. Learn more at uaa.alaska.edu.
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Media Contact: Kristi Emerson · 800.431.8913 · kemerson@ambassadored.com
