Indiana educators awarded PALSave grants for open textbook creation

INDIANAPOLIS—The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI) has awarded PALSave Textbook Creation Grants to faculty authors from four of its supported institutions. These grants will allow educators to develop open textbooks that are freely 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.

The grants—awarded as part of the PALSave: PALNI Affordable Learning Program—are given in overlapping two-year cohorts. Authors and working titles for the current cohort include:

• “Introductory Quantum Chemistry and Spectroscopy” — Dhabih Chulhai, University of Indianapolis, with contributing author David Styers-Barnett, University of Indianapolis
• “Premiers Pas” — Rishani De Costa, Marian University
• “Technical Documentation and Data Tools for Engineers: A Practical Guide to Reports, Presentations, Spreadsheets, and AI Tools” — Timothy Jenkins, Trine University
• “Generational Intelligence: Communication from Boomers to Alphas” — Stefanie K. Leiter, Anderson University

“Each cohort of PALSave Textbook Creation Grant recipients brings new expertise and perspectives to the open educational resources available to students,” says Amanda Hurford, PALNI Associate Director and director of the PALSave initiative. “These four projects span disciplines and demonstrate the range of knowledge faculty can contribute through open publishing. We’re excited to support these authors as they develop resources that can benefit students and educators in PALNI schools 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 received a $1.34 million grant in 2025 to launch the next phase of this transformative work. The 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.

PALSave Textbook Creation Grants

Since its inception in 2019, PALSave has published 13 open textbooks through the Textbook Creation Grant program with additional titles currently in development. These resources become freely available on the web, reducing costs to students enrolled in courses in the future.

The PALNI Open Press Advisory Board and PALSave Support 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. For the current cohort, PALNI Affordable Learning Program Manager Emily Helton and Open Textbooks Publishing Consultant Heather Myers provide project management support, along with Caitlin Balgeman and Edward Mandity, both at Marian University.

PALNI coordinates peer review, copyediting, layout, and hosting services to assist grant recipients in their textbook creation. The open textbooks are published on the PALNI Open Press-supported Pressbooks platform alongside other faculty-contributed works and are ultimately submitted to the Open Textbook Library and OER repositories.

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About Lilly Endowment Inc.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based, private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by three members of the Lilly family — J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons J.K. Jr. and Eli — through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. More information can be found at www.lillyendowment.org.

About the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana

Founded in 1992, PALNI is a 501(c)3 nonprofit consortium with a strong track record of providing its 23 supported institutions with the best possible library information systems, technology and services. It does so through Deep Collaboration and shared expertise among the library staff and consortial staff, and through strategic relationships with external partners. The PALNI organizational chart helps illustrate the complex roles and leadership structure within the consortium. PALNI employees enjoy a supportive work culture based on trust, communication and respect. Under the guidance of its Strategic Framework, PALNI strives to enhance the teaching and learning missions of its supported institutions through five areas of focus: student success, affordability, services and systems, shared expertise, and outreach and engagement. Visit www.palni.org to learn more.

PALNI Supported Institutions

Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary | Anderson University | Bethel University | Butler University | Concordia Theological Seminary | Christian Theological Seminary | DePauw University | Earlham College | Franklin College | Goshen College | Grace College | Hanover College | Huntington University | Manchester University | Marian University | University of Saint Francis | Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College | Saint Mary’s College | Saint Meinrad’s Seminary and School of Theology | Taylor University | Trine University | University of Indianapolis | Wabash College