DENVER ~ Denver, CO- July 24, 2025: In a recent announcement, Governor Jared Polis revealed the recipients of the Open Educational Resource (OER) awards, which aim to increase access, equity, and affordability in higher education. The governor also re-issued the Zero Textbook Cost "ZTC" Challenge for Colorado institutions.

The ZTC Challenge was first issued by Governor Polis in 2020 and aims to enable students to complete their degree without having to pay for textbooks. This is made possible through the use of open educational resources. According to Governor Polis, "Education should open doors, not close them with a price tag." He believes that using open source education resources will not only save students money but also provide a fair start for all.

One of the institutions leading the way in this initiative is Colorado Northwestern Community College (CNCC). Starting in fall 2025, CNCC will offer zero textbook cost degrees in both associate of arts and associate of science. These degrees will utilize OER exclusively, eliminating textbook costs for students pursuing in-person associate degrees at the rural community college. CNCC has been able to achieve this through the state's OER grant program and was recently awarded the Governor's Award for Institutional Advancement to ZTC at the 2025 Colorado OER Conference.

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The University of Colorado College of Nursing at Anschutz Medical Campus and Fort Lewis College were also recognized at the conference. They received the 2025 Governor's Award for Outstanding Workforce Z Degree for collaboratively transforming their undergraduate nursing program into a zero textbook cost degree. This move is expected to increase affordability and retention in the nursing program while also addressing nursing shortages in rural areas of Colorado.

Since 2020, over 2,000 courses across Colorado institutions have become zero textbook cost through the OER grant program. Additionally, several ZTC degrees have been developed at institutions across the state including a bachelor's in Spanish at Colorado State University Pueblo, master's in mechanical engineering at Colorado School of Mines, bachelor's in mathematics at University of Colorado Denver, associate's in theatre at Red Rocks Community College, and a bachelor of applied science in business through the Colorado Community College System.

At the 2025 Colorado OER Conference, five categories were recognized through the annual Colorado OER Awards. These included Los Valientes, a group of Spanish faculty at Colorado State University Pueblo who were recognized as the 2025 Exceptional OER Team for creating the state's first ZTC degree. The University of Colorado Denver Mathematics and Statistical Sciences Department was also recognized for developing the ZTC degree in mathematics.

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Other recipients included Yingjie Li, Runqing Qi and Yu Zhang of University of Colorado Boulder for their exceptional work on EverFlow Mandarin: An intermediate-advanced level OER Chinese Textbook; Mitch Cota of Arapahoe Community College and Seth Velutich of Colorado School of Mines for their partnership on an OER project; and Jen Mayer of University Northern Colorado who was recognized as the 2025 Colorado OER Champion.

Dr. Angie Paccione, executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE), expressed her excitement about the growth and impact of OER over the past few years. "When we remove the cost of access, we remove the limits on potential," she said.

Outstanding ZTC faculty, staff, courses, programs and pathways will be honored at the 2026 Colorado OER Conference on Friday, May 29 at Arapahoe Community College. Nominations for Governor ZTC awards and Colorado OER Awards will open in spring 2026.

For those interested in getting involved with the open education movement in Colorado, opportunities are advertised in the monthly Colorado OER newsletter. Additionally, public higher education institutions can apply for funding through the state's OER Grant Program, which awards funds for zero textbook degree development, collaborative partnerships, and other open educational projects. The eighth cycle of the grant program is currently open with proposals due on Monday, September 15, 2025. To learn more about the program and its impact, read the 2024 report "Transforming Education Practices through Open Educational Resources."

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