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Cutting textbook costs at OIT
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| H&N photo by Todd E. Swenson Oregon Tech associate math professor Gregg Waterman writes affordable texts for his students to use in his classes. The texts are available at the OIT bookstore and cost from $5 to $8. |
Associate professor’s materials save students money
By STEVE KADEL
H&N Staff Writer
With college costs at an all-time high, an Oregon Institute of Technology associate professor has found a way to reduce expenses for his students.
Gregg Waterman has written five textbooks on math and statistics. The soft-covered books are printed on campus by the document resource center and cost from $5 to $8. That’s a huge reduction from $80 to $120 that new hard-cover textbooks often cost.
Some of Waterman’s colleagues have joined him in the cost-cutting mode by selecting older editions of traditional textbooks that sell for a reduced cost.
“College is hard for people to afford,” Waterman said. “We’re looking for ways for students to save some money.”
Waterman began a few years ago by consolidating his own curriculum materials for a single course into work sheets. At the end of the course, a student thanked him on a class critique for saving him money.
The student said he was able to purchase some running shoes with the money he saved on a textbook. It motivated Waterman to expand his “publishing” efforts.
“I wanted to get something for students that aligned with what I was teaching,” he added.
Waterman said textbook costs rise as new editions of old favorites are published. Often, there is minimal new material but the price increases nonetheless. Pitching new textbooks is a lucrative market, he said, and sample copies used to flood his office.
“I had a stack of books this high sent to me that I hadn’t requested,” Waterman said, holding his hand 3 feet above his desk.
Waterman started teaching at OIT in 1999 as an assistant math professor. He grew up in Casper, Wyo., and earned a bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of Wyoming, working for a time for an oil company in seismic prospecting.
He got his master’s degree in math from Wyoming, and earned a Ph.D. from New Mexico University. He took a temporary one-year teaching job at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colo., before heading farther west.
A national publication listed a job opening at OIT, and Waterman and his wife, Vivian, decided it sounded promising.
“I’d never heard of Klamath Falls before that,” he said.
Since arriving at the school, Waterman has served as an advisor to the Outdoor Program, and has taught kayaking in the school pool. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoys backcountry skiing, rock climbing and hiking.
Waterman now serves as vice president of the Faculty Senate and is coordinator of the math department. He says math has a particular fascination for him.
“It’s a beautiful subject because it’s so precise,” Waterman said. “There’s only one correct execution. You can’t snow people.”
Gregg Waterman has written five textbooks on math and statistics. The soft-covered books are printed on campus by the document resource center and cost from $5 to $8. That’s a huge reduction from $80 to $120 that new hard-cover textbooks often cost.
Some of Waterman’s colleagues have joined him in the cost-cutting mode by selecting older editions of traditional textbooks that sell for a reduced cost.
“College is hard for people to afford,” Waterman said. “We’re looking for ways for students to save some money.”
Waterman began a few years ago by consolidating his own curriculum materials for a single course into work sheets. At the end of the course, a student thanked him on a class critique for saving him money.
The student said he was able to purchase some running shoes with the money he saved on a textbook. It motivated Waterman to expand his “publishing” efforts.
“I wanted to get something for students that aligned with what I was teaching,” he added.
Waterman said textbook costs rise as new editions of old favorites are published. Often, there is minimal new material but the price increases nonetheless. Pitching new textbooks is a lucrative market, he said, and sample copies used to flood his office.
“I had a stack of books this high sent to me that I hadn’t requested,” Waterman said, holding his hand 3 feet above his desk.
Waterman started teaching at OIT in 1999 as an assistant math professor. He grew up in Casper, Wyo., and earned a bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of Wyoming, working for a time for an oil company in seismic prospecting.
He got his master’s degree in math from Wyoming, and earned a Ph.D. from New Mexico University. He took a temporary one-year teaching job at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colo., before heading farther west.
A national publication listed a job opening at OIT, and Waterman and his wife, Vivian, decided it sounded promising.
“I’d never heard of Klamath Falls before that,” he said.
Since arriving at the school, Waterman has served as an advisor to the Outdoor Program, and has taught kayaking in the school pool. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoys backcountry skiing, rock climbing and hiking.
Waterman now serves as vice president of the Faculty Senate and is coordinator of the math department. He says math has a particular fascination for him.
“It’s a beautiful subject because it’s so precise,” Waterman said. “There’s only one correct execution. You can’t snow people.”
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