SUNY Polytechnic Institute Shifts to Fully Online Bookstore

SUNY Polytechnic Institute is launching a new online bookstore in an effort to reduce textbook costs and increase the accessibility of course content. The institution partnered with course content platform Akademos to create the fully online bookstore, which will offer all required textbooks and course materials in a variety of formats.

"As we continue to meet pandemic-induced challenges through online and hybrid approaches not only to teaching, but also the student experience itself, and as SUNY Poly continues to provide even more online options for students, we saw this as an important opportunity to deliver course materials in a fully-online platform," explained John Reale, executive director of auxiliary services, in a statement. "The shift to fully online bookstore operations is reflective of our commitment to making textbooks and course materials more affordable and competitively-priced in formats that are more accessible and inclusive for students."

Through the Akademos platform, students will have access to a range of low-cost course materials, including digital and hard copy textbooks. In addition, the platform's analytics tools will allow faculty and administrators to track student engagement with course content and apply that data to student success efforts, according to a news announcement.

The online store will launch this summer; SUNY Poly will also operate an on-campus store for merchandise and apparel.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • glowing digital brain made of blue circuitry hovers above multiple stylized clouds of interconnected network nodes against a dark, futuristic background

    Report: 85% of Organizations Are Using Some Form of AI

    Eighty-five percent of organizations today are leveraging some form of AI, according to the latest State of AI in the Cloud 2025 report from Wiz. While AI's role in innovation and disruption continues to expand, security vulnerabilities and governance challenges remain pressing concerns.

  • a glowing golden coin with a circuit board pattern, set against a gradient blue and white background with faint stock market graphs and metallic letters "AI" integrated into the design

    Google to Invest $1 Billion in AI Startup Anthropic

    Google is reportedly investing more than $1 billion in generative AI startup Anthropic, expanding its stake in one of Silicon Valley's leading artificial intelligence firms, according to a source familiar with the matter.

  • abstract representation of a supercomputer with glowing blue and green neon geometric shapes resembling interconnected data nodes on a dark background

    University of Florida Invests in Supercomputer Upgrade for AI, Research

    The University of Florida has announced plans to upgrade its HiPerGator supercomputer with new equipment from Nvidia. The $24 million investment will fuel the institution's leadership in AI and research, according to a news announcement.

  • Stock market graphs and candlesticks breaking apart with glass-like cracks

    Chinese Startup DeepSeek Disrupts AI Market

    A new low-cost Chinese artificial intelligence model is wreaking havoc in the technology sector, with tech stocks plummeting globally as concerns grow over the potential disruption it could cause.