Gardner-Webb Announces Barnes & Noble will Manage University Campus Shop

Company will Assume Operations of Store Summer 2022

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—Gardner-Webb officials have announced a partnership with Barnes & Noble College (BNC) to manage the University’s Campus Shop. The company operates over 1,400 physical and digital stores for schools, colleges and universities across the United States.

“We are excited to have a nationally-recognized brand assume management of our Campus Shop operations,” shared Gardner-Webb President William Downs.  “The primary motivator for this innovation is to drive down textbook costs for our students, which we recognize as prohibitively high at present.  What BNC will be able to do for college affordability through their optional textbook rental program should be a real difference maker for GWU students.”

As a partner with GWU, Barnes & Noble College will offer digital courseware, textbooks, faculty adoption tools, open educational resources (OER), and customized store solutions (physical and digital). The company will also offer GWU-licensed products for alumni, students, family and friends of the University in a convenient online environment.

Additionally, Gardner-Webb will benefit from the knowledge and support of Barnes & Noble Education Inc. (BNED), the parent company of Barnes & Noble College. The innovative academic programs created by BNED, as well as fresh retail approaches, will deliver optimal content to GWU students at the best prices.

GW Vice President of Finance and Administration, Tim Shuey notes this engagement will benefit the entire university family. “The campus partnership with Barnes & Noble College ushers in a new and exciting era of student convenience, cost-effective offerings, and BNC First Day inclusive access program for course textbooks and materials. With our revitalized Campus Shop and modernized online store, our Gardner-Webb University community of families, parents, students and fans can easily shop for all their GWU merchandise needs. Together, Gardner-Webb University and Barnes & Noble College look forward to serving our community with ease of access and convenience.”

Barnes & Noble College provides campus partners with the complete solutions they need to support student and faculty success—inside and out of the classroom. Through the fifth annual Student Pulse report—with responses from over 129,000 college students—Barnes & Noble College will offer ideas based on shopping behaviors, purchase decisions, and attitudes towards course materials and learning resources. Barnes & Noble College supports faculty with data-driven offerings that encourage innovation, provide course material choice, make teaching more rewarding, and increase student engagement, achievement and career readiness.

“We are excited to partner with Gardner-Webb University as its new bookstore operator,” said Jeffrey Miller, vice president of Strategic Partnerships for Barnes & Noble College. “We support GWU’s mission of preparing graduates for leadership and service in their professional careers and in their personal lives, and look forward to offering a wide range of academic solutions and a seamless retail experience that will help to drive success for students in the classroom and beyond.”

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Gardner-Webb University is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to six professional schools, 14 academic departments, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Ignite your future at Gardner-Webb.edu.

Barnes & Noble College is a leading operator of college bookstores in the United States. Barnes & Noble College currently operates over 770 campus bookstores and the school-branded e-commerce sites for each store, serving more than 6 million college students and faculty nationwide. General information on Barnes & Noble College can be obtained by visiting the Company’s website: www.bncollege.com.