Community Colleges function as California’s largest workforce training provider—and they also enroll the state’s lowest-income students. Approximately half of all Community College students still have unmet financial need after all financial aid is considered, and many lack the resources to afford the tools needed to succeed in higher education.
Making technology affordable is one of the ways the CollegeBuys purchasing program works to be an advocate for the Community College system. Administered by the Foundation for California Community Colleges, this program has over 10 years of experience in securing Community College discounts on Microsoft and Adobe software purchases.
Software purchases are an investment in success for educators as well as students, and CollegeBuys offers exclusive deals that help faculty and staff afford personal copies of the software used by students. CollegeBuys strives to help educators support their students through seamless integration of technology from the home environment to the classroom, which makes teaching easier and can help faculty and staff be more efficient on a daily basis.
CollegeBuys has partnered with Microsoft since 2003 to offer exclusive Community College software deals, and this fall CollegeBuys launched a new program that allowed Community College students, staff, and faculty to purchase copies of Microsoft Office Professional Plus for $39.99—a price negotiated specifically for the California Community College system.
In addition to software, CollegeBuys helps the Community College system secure deals on a wide array of educational purchases—such as furniture, equipment, and office supplies. A core element of the CollegeBuys philosophy is the “Total Cost of Ownership” approach, which reinforces the importance evaluating the entire price of a product—from the initial price to the end of the product’s life.
Exclusive software and other educational discount programs are available through CollegeBuys’ newly launched e-commerce site at www.CollegeBuys.org.