Bay Mills Community College Selects Akademos to Support Accessibility and Affordability for Students

Akademos announced today a new partnership with Bay Mills Community College, a public tribal college that serves the Bay Mills Indian Community of Michigan, its neighbors, and tribal students across the country. This partnership will give the college’s oncampus and online students access to a vast selection of low-cost textbooks through a personalized online ordering platform. The new online bookstore will also offer students a wide range of Bay Mills branded apparel and merchandise. The transparent, convenient, and cost-effective solution will launch in time for the fall 2020 semester.

“We are committed to providing affordable, culturally relevant, accessible, and high-quality educational opportunities for the students, and to the community,” said LaTara LeBlanc, Bay Mills Community College Spokesperson. “Working with Akademos to help our students succeed by addressing textbook accessibility and affordability is an important step in continuing our mission for the next generation.”

The Akademos platform provides students with an expanded selection of course material format options including new, used, eBook, and rental at significant savings in addition to 24x7x365 accessibility and free shipping options. Students can access both their course materials and the branded apparel and merchandise through the online bookstore that integrates student courses, associated materials, and multiple purchasing options with a single sign-on. The integration with the college’s technology systems will make the new bookstore a seamless extension of the Bay Mills Community College student experience.

“We fully support Bay Mills Community College in taking this innovative step to increase access and improve affordability while continuing to serve the on-campus needs of their students. BMCC joins a growing number of schools who recognize the need to modernize their course materials platform,” said Raj Kaji, CEO, Akademos. “We’re delighted that the college has selected Akademos to support their mission and provide a course materials platform that will foster the success of the entire community.”

About Bay Mills Community College

Bay Mills Community College (BMCC) is located on the southeastern shore of Lake Superior within the Bay Mills Indian Community (BMIC) approximately 17 miles west of Sault Ste. Marie in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. As Michigan’s first fully accredited, tribally controlled college, BMCC meets the educational needs of a wide variety of students through its remote, rural Main Campus, West Campus, Waishkey Bay Farm site, off-campus sites, and online courses. Control is vested in a Board of Regents, which elects the officers of the Board and establishes overall institutional policy. BMCC is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium.

BMCC is one of three tribally controlled colleges in the State of Michigan and the only community college in Michigan’s Eastern Upper Peninsula. It is committed to providing affordable, culturally relevant, accessible, and high quality educational opportunities to all tribal communities in Michigan and their neighbors. BMCC is also committed to providing leadership in the areas of economic and community development for the Bay Mills Indian Community and the Eastern Upper Peninsula (EUP). As a 1994 Land Grant Institution, BMCC works closely with land grant partners, such as Michigan State University to provide service and expertise to the Bay Mills Indian Community and the surrounding region.

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.