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This year, Bill Hockensmith, the new director of the University of Maine Bookstore, said he plans to lower the price of textbooks, help students get more money for their buy-back books and dedicate the music section solely to local artists.
When Hockensmith was presented with the opportunity to leave his rural Texas town to join the UMaine faculty, he jumped at the chance.
Hockensmith said he and his wife were smitten with the quaintness of life in Maine and the welcoming and enthusiastic faculty at UMaine. So, the Hockensmiths found a new home and the Bookstore found a new director.
Hockensmith began his career at UMaine after leaving West Texas A & M University as their bookstore director. Finding a sense of belonging in Maine was not a difficult task, according to Hockensmith.
“[Coming to] Maine was a great opportunity and a change we were looking for,” Hockensmith said. “We felt the university had a distinct family environment where students were put before faculty, something hard to find in a large university.”
While at Texas A & M, Hockensmith said he worked hard to keep costs down for students purchasing textbooks and helped develop the highest book buy-back rate in the United States. That’s something he said he is working on at UMaine.
Hockensmith believes the three most important things concerning students in a successful bookstore are the lowest possible cost for textbooks, fair buy-back prices and everything else comes third.
Early in the semester, Hockensmith said he circulated a memo to all of the colleges urging teachers to get their book orders in early for spring semester.
“Cooperation with the faculty has been phenomenal,” Hockensmith said. “At this point in the order process we are up nearly 70 percent from where we were last year.”
Hockensmith credits the faculty for this jump in productivity and says the primary benefit to early textbook orders will be a greater availability of used textbooks and thus, lower textbook prices for students come Spring semester.
“Fifty dollars to some people is a night out at dinner,” Hockensmith said. “If I can save students that much money, it’s a week’s worth of groceries to some.”
Lowering the costs of textbooks is not an effort that lies solely in the hands of educators and faculty, Hockensmith said. An advisory committee consisting of students and staff has been initiated by Hockensmith in order to research and better serve the needs of students at UMaine. On the agenda for the advisory committee are programs to revamp the Bookstore’s Web site, making it available for students who wish to purchase their books online in the future.
Aside from creating a more budget-savvy bookstore for patrons, Hockensmith said he and his staff also have been working to promote UMaine throughout the Bookstore. The glass display case near the front door showcases campus clubs and organizations that don’t necessarily get much recognition.
Hockensmith has also begun developing a plan that will rid the audio section of all mainstream music groups in an effort to spotlight local talent.
“We simply don’t have the space to dedicate to all the various types of music out there, ” Hockensmith said. “I’d rather give local groups the opportunity to get their name out there.”
This plan came about not only because of space constraints, but also due to plunging music sales, according to Hockensmith.
Hockensmith and his staff are excited about the impending buy-back season with hopes that students will notice the changes that have occurred.
“Students these days are really being priced out of their education. More students are dropping out due to lower checkbook balances than lower GPA’s,” Hockensmith said.
Hockensmith and his team of nearly 50 full and part-time workers are ready and eager to begin the buy-back season. In addition to the regular staff, about a dozen temporary workers will be hired to assist students during peak textbook buy-backs and sales.
