Higher Education stakeholders, including students, parents, faculty, administrators, legislators, state higher education boards, trustees, alumni, and donors are all concerned about the high cost of education and its impact on students. Positioning OER within the broader context of college affordability creates interest in the creation and use of OER, as well as powerful allies for OER initiatives. Approaches and examples of how to communicate OER value for affordability efforts and influence these varied stakeholders will be included in this presentation. Portland State University and its use of OER and the creation of open textbooks in the context of university initiatives to increase affordability by reducing student costs for course materials will be described as one example. Insights and lessons learned will also be highlighted.
