As the world continues to adapt to the challenges we are facing, Follett is committed to supporting our campus partners, the eLearning process, students and faculty on all of our campuses. In the midst of all of the COVID-19 activities, we understand that continuing education on your campus is important, and we are offering you and your campus community options that provide peace of mind and access to resources to ensure success and triumph in the face of adversity.
We have been monitoring the global concerns about COVID-19 and are doing everything we can to provide the best service possible while mitigating health risks on campus. On campuses where we are able to stay open, our stores will as well. On campuses that are closed, Follett will continue to fulfill as many online orders as possible through our eCommerce sites. We are “always open” online, and anticipate this channel to be preferable to our customers.
Our efforts concentrate on solutions from all aspects of our campus store interactions and include the following:
- Through RedShelf, our preferred provider of digital course materials, we are offering students access to eBooks from a variety of publishers for no additional cost, details at follett.com/RedShelf, which covers about 80% of our titles.
- Lumen Learning, our premier partner in OER content and courseware, they are offering Waymaker and OHM, for free for courses currently in session. For faculty members seeking a well-designed digital alternative or supplement to their current textbook, Lumen courseware may be a good fit. Course set-up is simple, and faculty can be ready to teach the same day they make the change. Click here to learn more.
- For additional non-digital materials and other items, we have extended a free shipping offer, with no minimum purchase, to your entire campus community to fulfill any academic or personal needs that may arise.
- For your students’ rental returns, Follett is offering free shipping return labels and is also extending the non-return period without penalty to assist with increased returns by mail.
- We are including timely messaging on your campus store website to educate students on the options and the assistance available from your campus store. Sample provided below.
- We will be posting FAQ’s to your campus store website to answer student focused questions and we will be updating it regularly with any additional topics that arise.
- As we work though orders placed online, we when possible will hold to our 24-hour SLA but depending on the operations of the campus store, pending orders may see an extended SLA. We will do our best to communicate those details to customers and work to fulfill orders as soon as possible.
- And finally, for our stores that are still open, we are providing operational and sanitization direction to keep the campus community as healthy as possible. Our fitting rooms will be closed, and we will be asking customers not to try on apparel items to mitigate any risk.
Please make an effort TODAY, to communicate these options to your students and faculty as soon as possible. To aid in that communication, we have crafted the following language for you to use to message the details.
Sample Email message out to students:
In order to facilitate the learning process and make your eLearning experience more dynamic, our campus store is offering three options to supplement and support your efforts.
- FREE Online Shipping Offer: Visit the campus store website<insert campus site url here> for Free Shipping on all items with no minimum purchase. This includes various formats of course materials, supplies, apparel, technology and more.
- Access to eBooks AT NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE: Visit the campus store website <insert campus store url here> to gain access to eBooks at no additional charge with your .edu email address. You can access up to 7 eBooks for the designated period free of charge.
- FREE Access to Lumen Learning OER Courseware: Lumen Learning, our OER partner, is offering FREE access to courseware to help supplement content, and offer additional resources to faculty, click here for the Lumen offer.
- Free Shipping on Rental Returns & Deadline Extensions: The campus store is offering free shipping return labels and is also extending the non-return period without penalty to assist with increased returns by mail. Click the COVID-19 message on the home page of the campus store website <insert campus store site url here>.
Partners help each other out in times of need, and Follett is very fortunate to have your Institution as our partner.
We will get through this and together. We will adapt new learning paths and grow stronger, long after the virus has subsided.
Sincerely,
Roe J. McFarlane
President
Follett Higher Education Group |