Ashley Duong (COM`25)
Kurt Mahnke (CAS ’04), general manager of Barnes & Noble at Boston University, has worked with Barnes and Noble College for the past 15 years, holding various positions in Boston and Cambridge, and joined Barnes & Noble at Boston University in June 2019. As general manager, his role is to manage the services the bookstore provides, including course materials, BU logo products, a general books department to support academic learning on campus, as well as caps and gowns. He also works with faculty in BU’s 17 schools and colleges to acquire the book materials that are required or recommended for their classes.
In this Q&A, Mahnke describes his day-to-day experiences and responsibilities as the general manager; the Barnes & Noble resources available to faculty; and how the textbook industry has changed since he was a student at the College of Arts & Sciences.
Note: Some responses are edited for clarity purposes.
Q: What are your favorite aspects of your role?
A: My favorite aspects of my role are two things. One, I like partnering with faculty and providing them information and implementing First Day—an inclusive access program that provides digital course materials on the first day of class through Blackboard—because I believe it’s the best service we provide to the students. Two, I just love working with students, and their energy and excitement. Our role is to service the student from the first t-shirt they get when they get accepted, right through their academic journey.
Q: How did your CAS experience prepare you for your role? What does it mean for you to be back at BU?
A: My academic and personal experiences in CAS and at BU shaped the person I am today. In being part of CAS, my academics allowed me to focus on analytical-thinking-focused courses but also experience many other courses that were just fun. It’s exciting to be back! I get to work with students and parents that are excited to become Terriers for life. Being able to come back and serve the community where I went to school is special.
Q: How does B&N support faculty?
A: Faculty submit textbook orders to ensure that we can have the required and recommended materials available for students before classes begin. The first resource is our Barnes & Noble Adoptions & Insights Portal (AIP), a tool for faculty to submit book orders, but also to research course materials and see what formats and estimated costs are available. It’s a one stop resource for them to view course materials and submit their request for the upcoming term. Most faculty also don’t know about First Day yet. First Day is an inclusive access program that provides digital course materials on the first day of class through Blackboard. Students get charged a discounted price on their student account after the drop period, so they have the opportunity to opt out of the program or drop the class without being charged. For the spring semester, we had 55 sections part of this program, 2,500 students, and a 2 percent opt out rate. Professors can simply sign up for the program!
Q: What is your biggest challenge?
A: It all revolves around affordability and access. If faculty submit their orders early, we can make an impact on the cost of textbooks, in terms of getting used books and having a variety of formatting options, like rental programs and digital programs. The earlier the book orders come in, the better the opportunity to have resources available come the beginning of the semester. I think the biggest challenge is getting the orders as early as we need them. We know faculty are very busy, so our goal is to partner with faculty on understanding the impacts of early book orders and how they benefit their students.
Q: How has the textbook industry changed since you started here?
A: When I was a student, there were no online opportunities nor options. The industry is in dramatic transformation right now, with physical rental programs transitioning into digital learning. Now, with First Day, we’re providing immediate, instant access on the first day of class at the best price. So, it’s gone from really hoping to get a used book off the shelf to having a lot of options that fit what the students and faculty need.
Q: What’s something you wish faculty members and/or students knew about your work?
A: I think that sometimes the bookstore is seen mainly as a retail place where students go to make purchases. We really want faculty and students to know that our focus is always to enhance the experience and services we provide to them, and that’s what we’re doing behind the scenes. Some of our programs show that, whether it’s our rental program, adoption insights portal, or First Day, every effort that we make is to provide better service to the campus.
Questions? Reach out to Kurt Mahnke at kmahnke@bu.edu.