Green Mountain College Promotes Student Success Using the Rafter360(R) Textbooks-in-Tuition Program From Rafter

Rafter Prepares All Students to Learn on Day One of Class


SAN MATEO, CA--(Marketwired - Nov 11, 2015) - Rafter, the leading course materials management company, facilitated a smooth roll-out of its distinctive textbooks-in-tuition program, Rafter360, at Green Mountain College for the Fall 2015 term.

Green Mountain College, founded in 1834, is a private, not-for-profit accredited institution situated on a 155-acre campus on the Poultney River in Vermont. The college's mission is to train the next generation of leaders in sustainability through a dedicated environmental liberal arts curriculum. Green Mountain College is ranked second on The Princeton Review's Top 50 Green Colleges in the country list and for the past six years has been in the top fifteen colleges on the Sierra Magazine "Cool Schools" ranking of America's greenest universities.

After years of operation, the company that leased Green Mountain College's on-campus book and merchandise store closed the store, citing insufficient revenue to cover operating expenses. As an alternative, the same company set up a virtual bookstore program for the college.

"It was a tremendous amount of work and the number of students that actually ended up going to the virtual bookstore to purchase their texts were very, very slim," said Sharon L. Hoffman, Registrar & Director of Institutional Research at Green Mountain College.

Green Mountain College noticed an increasing amount of students were not purchasing required textbooks or were receiving them from online retailers up to five weeks after classes had started. With 45 percent of its students eligible for federal Pell Grants, Green Mountain College was in need of a solution that would level the playing field by getting books in the hands of all students on the first day of class using a predictable, affordable model.

Rafter360 provides students with all of their required course materials on day one of classes. A flat rate that is significantly less than retail textbook costs is incorporated into a modest comprehensive fee and can be covered by financial aid. Green Mountain College implemented the Rafter360 program with a pop-up textbook pickup center in the student union building they coined "The Book Depot."

"We are determined to improve student outcomes, retention, and graduation rates by making textbooks more affordable and accessible. It is hard for me conceive that having 100 percent of the students start each semester with all the required textbooks they need for every class would not have a positive impact on students' academic success," said Dr. Tom Mauhs-Pugh, Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs at Green Mountain College. "In addition, Rafter360 is another way to increase our contributions to sustainability by keeping these books in circulation."

The college is already making changes on campus due to the transparency offered by Rafter360. "I am watching for correlations between who hasn't picked up any of their course materials and who is receiving academic warnings in classes and connecting with them early on," said Hoffman.

"When we heard about the frustrations and negative impact on student learning that Green Mountain College was experiencing with the reorganization of their bookstore, we knew our program could be the perfect solution for them," said Sara Leoni, CEO of Rafter. "It's been amazing seeing their smooth implementation and how they have been able to leverage the data and tools Rafter360 provides to promote student success."

To learn more about Rafter360 or to register for an upcoming webinar, visit www.rafter.com/our-solutions/rafter360/.

About Rafter
Rafter is an established course materials management company. Hundreds of campuses and over 2.7 million students have used Rafter's technology to save nearly $700 million on textbooks. The company's mission is to help students save money and be prepared for success in the classroom. Building on its course materials experience and long-term relationships with hundreds of colleges and suppliers, Rafter is redesigning and transforming the entire process of course materials management with its Rafter360™ solution. Based in San Mateo, California, Rafter was founded in 2006. More information about Rafter360 can be found at www.rafter.com/our-solutions/rafter360/

Contact Information:

Media Contact
Jessica Cheney
CommStrat for Rafter
419-350-4614