Several Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) faculty have been awarded PALSave Textbook Creation Grants from the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI).
The grants—awarded as part of the PALSave: PALNI Affordable Learning Program—are given in overlapping two-year cohorts. SMWC authors and working titles for the current cohort include:
- “The Psychology of Leadership in a Global Context” — Lorrie L. Dyer, Ph.D., adjunct faculty in SMWC’s Department of Business and Leadership Studies, and Eric Hubbard, Ph.D., assistant professor and director of SMWC’s Master’s Programs in Business and Leadership. Contributions by SMWC’s Kourtney Barrett, ’25Ph.D., adjunct faculty member in the Department of Business and Leadership Studies, Jennifer F. Smith, Ph.D., LCPC and Trisha Purdue, MS
- “Music Therapy in Practice: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Clinical Process” — Krista Cole-Furstenber, lecturer in SMWC’s Department of Arts, Letters, & Music; and Amy Foley, associate professor of music therapy and director of Music Therapy and Student Support at the University of Indianapolis
These grants will enable educators to develop open textbooks available online, supporting a statewide effort to reduce course material costs for college students. Financed with support from Lilly Endowment Inc., each author will receive up to $6,500 per project.
“PALSave Textbook Creation Grants support our mission to expand open educational resources (OER) and reduce costs for students,” said Amanda Hurford. PALNI scholarly communications director and PALSave program lead. “With the support of PALNI libraries, through engagement, project guidance and publishing services, these faculty authors are creating high-quality, accessible textbooks that help students succeed and advance a culture of open education across Indiana and beyond.”
Supported by Lilly Endowment Inc., the PALSave Affordable Learning Program drives student success through zero-cost learning materials by funding faculty to review, adopt, adapt and create OER across Indiana’s private colleges. PALNI recently received a $1.34 million grant to launch the next phase of this transformative work. The four-year initiative, Strengthening the PALSave Affordable Learning Program for Greater Impact, builds on PALSave’s success in reducing textbook costs, expanding access to learning materials and empowering faculty to advance open educational practices.
The PALNI Open Press Advisory Board and PALSave Team select projects for funding based on proposal quality, clearly defined goals, need within the current open access body of work, and adoption potential within PALNI schools and beyond.
Since its inception in 2019, PALSave has published 13 open textbooks through the Textbook Creation Grant program. These resources become available online to reduce costs for future course enrollees.