This is unrestricted funding that the recipient(s) can use however they wish, from offsetting membership dues, to paying for registration and transportation to regional and national conferences, to donating to a local charity. The possibilities are endless!

One bookstore in the Rocky Mountain Region has a novel approach to taking advantage of the funding generated from their campus book drives: Bookstore Scholarships! Between Fall 2005 and Spring 2006, Montana State University-Northern generated $350 through the collection of “no-value” college textbooks, and recently awarded two $187.50 scholarships.

The recipients – Conrad Flynn and Michelle Courchene – were selected from the pool of students who paid cash for their books this semester, and will be able to take advantage of their scholarships during the Spring semester book rush.

Jason Degele, manager of the MSU-N Bookstore, is thrilled that partnering with Better World Books benefits not only Room to Read, but also the MSU-N campus community. His hope is that even more students will take to buying their books directly from the bookstore so as to be considered for the next round of scholarships, which will be awarded in the Spring.

We at Better World Books hope more and more bookstores will take advantage of this unique opportunity to serve their students, and invite any managers who are interested to contact their Regional Director about how they can get involved.