Buena Vista University to Provide Students More Affordable Course Materials

Akademos announced today a new partnership with Buena Vista University (BVU) as its technology partner in transitioning to an online model for course material sales. The University will also utilize a new mobile merchandising solution to run online pop up shops at their athletic events.

A private university in Storm Lake, Iowa, BVU joins a growing list of higher education institutions transitioning from a brick-and-mortar operation to an eCommerce solution for course content management and delivery.

“After a competitive proposal process, we found that the virtual bookstore model with Akademos has several advantages,” said Courtney Berg, BVU’s director of finance and administration. “It’s convenient for students, who are already used to shopping online, and it reduces overhead to improve affordability. We’re also able to free up a lot of space for our new Lehnus Campus Spirit Store.”

The Akademos-powered online bookstore will provide BVU students a wide selection of low-cost material options including new, used, rental, digital, course packs, and a 100+ million title Marketplace. For faculty and administration, Akademos’ industry-leading digital platform features adoption and analytics tools designed to streamline textbook operations and improve classroom preparedness.

The University will continue to sell merchandise on campus, including through its food service operator. Additionally, BVU will use Akademos’ merchandising partner to supply spirit wear and other logo items for pop up shop events. In a time when universities are increasingly concerned about controlling their brand and the associated costs, this new model eliminates the bigger risk and allows them to streamline their brand at an affordable price for the entire BVU community.

“We are delighted about our partnership with BVU in that it combines Akademos’ premier online bookstore technology with our trusted industry partnerships,” said Akademos CEO Raj Kaji. “This is another example of how we customize our services to meet the unique needs of our clients.”

The new online bookstore and course materials platform will launch this summer to support the fall 2021 term.

About Buena Vista University

Where students dream, innovate, and build—taking concepts from state-of-the-art classrooms and labs to real-world applications throughout the U.S. and across the globe. Our commitment to Education for Service, Division III athletics, and experiential learning opportunities provide students with skills sought by employers and community leaders. Our campus on the shores of beautiful Storm Lake hosts students in a variety of in-demand majors, while 11 community college partners across Iowa—as well as graduate programs—expand student potential through a variety of convenient online and hybrid programs. Visit bvu.edu for more.

About Akademos

More than just an online bookstore, an Akademos technology-driven solution is a customizable bookstore experience every unique institution can benefit from. Whether the bookstore is a service for students or a revenue generator, the platform supports prioritizing readiness, textbook affordability, and retention with all models including Equitable Access, Inclusive Access, Student Choice, or a combination. All aspects of textbook and course material purchasing and delivery are taken care of so you can focus on what matters – student success. A true partnership – Akademos provides unmatched customer support along with access to tools and analytics needed to take each student’s college experience to the next level. Learn more at akademos.com.