Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., has signed a 10-year contract with Follett Higher Education Group to run its campus bookstore, the Vanderbilt Hustler reported.
The bookstore is changing its name from Barnes & Noble at Vanderbilt to Vanderbilt Bookstore, but will remain in the same location. It will close on May 22 and reopen under Follett's management on June 1. Minor physical updates to the space will be made throughout the summer, with all work planned to be done by the start of the fall semester. The bookstore's second-floor cafe will be removed and turned into a multipurpose space, and the store's digital services will be expanded.
"The end of the B&N contract provided an opportunity for the university to take a fresh look at a broad range of options, including the spectrum of operating models, store configurations and bookstore operations," David ter Kuile, Vanderbilt's executive director of business services, told the Hustler. The university began an internal study over two years ago, and made the decision with input from students, faculty, alumni and other groups.
Follett has reportedly made employment offers to current staff members at the B&N store "who have expressed a desire to work at the new Vanderbilt Bookstore."