Eastern Kentucky University has taken a new step to make college more affordable, announcing that starting in the fall, course books will be made available to students for free.

EKU President David McFaddin, in a video message to the campus community, said, ”EKU BookSmart offers required class textbooks and course materials for EKU undergraduate students enrolled at all of our campuses, and online.  We will have them delivered directly to you, or ready for pick-up, here at the EKU Barnes and Noble Bookstore, for free.”

McFaddin said the program is unique to Eastern, and unlike any other program anywhere else.  “It is one more way we are keeping college affordable by investing in our students, so they will be able to be prepared when their classes begin.  Anytime we can assist our students is an exciting day, and today’s announcement is made possible through our long-standing partnership with our friends at Barnes and Noble.”

He summed up the program by saying, “Come to EKU and the books are on us.”

Dr. Tanlee Wasson, senior vice-president for student success, noted, “Because of the BookSmart Program, no EKU student will have to drop an undergraduate class because they realize they can’t do the work without the book they couldn’t afford to buy.  “No EKU student will choose not to take an undergraduate course because the books are more than she can afford.  No EKU student will have to weigh the cost of an undergraduate textbook against meeting essential needs like food, housing, or transportation.”

Barry Poynter, senior vice president for finance and administration, said eliminating financial barriers to success is their job.

“We’ve all seen the national studies showing an average annual cost of textbooks for an academic year at about $1,200. Removing a barrier to academic access and student success of this magnitude is opportunity in action. We are directly reducing the cost of attendance at EKU by providing textbooks and course materials to our students, and also providing some additional stability.”

For more information about EKU BookSmart, go to https://go.eku.edu/books.