Faculty from Fitchburg State University have published new textbooks - on music, language, and mathematics - that may be downloaded and reproduced for free, as part of an ongoing project designed to create open educational resources for students and the general public. The volumes were published through the state’s Remixing Open Textbooks through an Equity Lens ( ROTEL) project, which promotes textbook affordability, student success, and inclusion and equity to benefit all students, particularly those from minoritized populations. The project provided stipends for faculty to remix and/or develop accessible, intentionally inclusive open textbooks that reflect students’ local and lived experiences. Fitchburg State faculty have embraced this initiative, which has resulted in the publication of 10 open textbooks. The newest volumes include: The Art of Music: Music Appreciation with an Equity Lens, by Associate Professor Amy McGlothlin of the Fitchburg State Humanities Department, written with Boston University faculty member Jennifer Bill. The book is a comprehensive music appreciation textbook with musical and cultural examples from medieval to present times. The text, photographs and musical examples represent populations typically underserved in professional music. Women, minorities, and practitioners from the music’s areas of origin are highlighted in each chapter. The text can be used in its entirety, or by choosing specific time periods or chapters. Polyphony, by Professor Elise Takehana, Associate Professor Diego Ubiera, and former Assistant Professor Jennie Snow of Fitchburg State’s English Studies Department, is a functional, creative, and radical resource for facilitating critical conversations about multilingualism, the politics of language, and linguistic justice in the first-year writing classroom. This book emphasizes open pedagogy, collaboration, and “polyphonic” approaches to first-year writing. The Reader includes key texts (written, audio, and video) that reflect diverse perspectives. The Explorations section includes reading, writing, discussion, and research activities designed around each text in the Reader, and range from shorter in-class activities to longer plans that could span a week or two of class meetings. Takehana is also director of the Borderlands Digital Humanities Center at the University of Texas at El Paso. Snow is currently an assistant teaching professor at Montclair State University. Algebra, Patterns, and Functions for Elementary School Teachers: A Workbook Approach, by Professor Mary Ann Barbato of the Fitchburg State Mathematics Department, is an accessible interactive workbook designed for future teachers with material on algebra, patterns, functions and statistics as they relate to elementary and middle school mathematics and beyond. It aims to use a universal language with clarity of expression that is reader friendly for all. It includes word problems and activities that strive to be relevant to a variety of cultures and genders. It includes components of UDL: material presented in multiple ways, scaffolding, extra explanations and a variety of examples and activities. Other volumes in the series authored by Fitchburg State faculty members include: Introduction to Communication and Media Studies, by Associate Professor J.J. Sylvia IV The Data Renaissance: Analyzing the Disciplinary Effects of Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and Beyond, by Associate Professor J.J. Sylvia IV Biological Psychology, by Associate Professor Michael Hove and graduate Steven A. Martinez Why Do I Have to Take this Course? by Professor Kisha Tracy Heritages of Change: Curatorial Activism and First-Year Writing, by Professor Kisha Tracy The Basics of Health, Wellness and Fitness, by Associate Professor Jessica Alsup Statistical Problem Sets in WeBWorK, by Professor Peter Staab and Rachael Norton To learn more about the project, or to download any of the volumes for free, visit rotel.pressbooks.pub. The ROTEL Project is 100% funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education ( FIPSE). The contents of the OERs do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and an endorsement by the Federal Government should not be assumed.

Fitchburg State University recently held the winter ceremony of its 128th commencement exercises, conferring hundreds of graduate and undergraduate degrees. (Download the list of graduates here.) It was the first ceremony for Dr. Donna Hodge, who joined the Fitchburg State campus this summer as its 12th president. “Today, I am filled with profound pride and gratitude,” she told graduates and guests at the ceremony, which was held in the university’s Athletics and Recreation Center. “This marks my inaugural semester as president of this esteemed institution, and it is an honor to witness this pivotal milestone in your academic journeys. I am particularly humbled to serve as the first woman president in Fitchburg State’s 130-year history. You are my first graduating class, among some of the first students I met upon my arrival this summer, and officially tonight, you have all become part of my own story. Our historic moment underscores the progress we have achieved as a university committed to equity, inclusion, and the pursuit of excellence.” She cited individual students who had made an impact on her as a newcomer to campus, as well as the collective narrative of challenges surmounted, ambitions realized, and aspirations pursued. “Many among you have balanced the rigors of academic study with professional commitments, internships, familial responsibilities, and community engagement,” Hodge said. “For some, this achievement represents a groundbreaking first within your families, forging a legacy for future generations. Your resilience and intellectual curiosity have been exemplary, and today we recognize not only your accomplishments but also the fortitude that has propelled you to this moment.” She urged the graduates to acknowledge those who had supported them along their journeys, and to embody the principles of intellectual curiosity, moral courage, and compassionate leadership in their future pursuits. “The world awaits your intellectual contributions, your creativity, and your principled leadership,” Hodge said. “More importantly, the world requires your dedication to the pursuit of truth, your commitment to fostering equity, and your resolve to effectuate positive change. Never ever underestimate your capacity to influence and transform the world.” View the ceremony courtesy of FATV.