Off The Cuff: Jim Salisbury

Feb. 14, 2020

Our CCRI faculty and staff are a diverse group with many fascinating hobbies and interests that keep them busy during their free time off campus. Welcome to "Off the Cuff." Every other week, we'll profile a member of our CCRI family to find out what makes them tick. Hopefully, their stories inspire others and help us develop new connections and friendships with our CCRI colleagues.

Since 2017, CCRI students have saved close to $500,000 in textbook costs thanks to the growing use of Open Educational Resources, which are freely accessible and openly licensed text, media or other digital assets used in teaching and learning.

Because OERs are already funded, published and licensed to be adapted or distributed for use in the classroom, professors at CCRI can customize the material to fit their curriculum. This ensures what they’re teaching is up to date, plus most of the material is available in PDF form, which means it’s portable and students can access it around the clock.

When Governor Gina Raimondo announced a statewide Open Textbook Initiative in 2016, Library Department Chair and Associate Professor Jim Salisbury began spearheading the effort to bring OERs to CCRI. This week, we sat down with the Providence native and CCRI’s multi-talented renaissance man – an avid painter and wine-maker – to find out how OERs are impacting students across all four campuses in addition to his passion for the finer things in life.

According to CCRI’s Fall 2019 OER Reports, students are saving more and more each semester on the cost of textbooks, a total of $492,600 over the past three years. What are the other benefits of OERS besides the financial aspect?

Saving money is great, but it’s also about social justice and equity. You can come here and be a student, but if you are from a lower socioeconomic level, no matter how good of a student you are, how are you going to pay for the books? The average student spends up to $1,200 per year for books here at CCRI. If they are also paying tuition, that’s an additional 25 percent added to the cost to go to school. A lot of these students aren’t the student I was 50 years ago when I lived at home and had a roof over my head and I just worked one simple, part-time job. We’re talking about people that are working maybe more than one job, maybe have a family, or might be an adult learner who is out of work. That’s an enormous burden. Now you can walk into the classroom on Day 1 and you’re not behind the 8-ball because you’re not waiting for financial aid to pay for the book, you’re not waiting for a paycheck and you’re not going without some other basic commodity – even spending money – because you have the material right there before you start class.

You’ve been at CCRI for 12 years have implemented a lot of new initiatives, including a laptop lending program in 2013. Is there a sense of pride on your end from being able to help students further their education?

I get a lot of personal satisfaction out of it. No doubt about it. With OERs, I’ve become very passionate about it. I brought the idea of the laptop program when I came here from Providence College. I love the library and I want everyone in here, and I don’t care what they’re in here for. If I get you in here to use a laptop, then I can get you in here for something else and appreciate what the library is and what librarians can do for you. I’m really passionate about my profession.

What other plans do you have for improving the student experience at CCRI?

Last year I wrote to my state representative [Deborah Fellela] and I asked if she would introduce a bill allowing the colleges – the three state schools – to take old, discarded technology, scrub it and sell it at a discount to students. Right now, it goes into some warehouse and gets dumped because it just sits there. The bill got a hearing from the House Finance Committee and it was tabled, which I understand, from the process, is pretty normal. I wrote to Deb again and went one step further and wrote to my state senator and they have said they will reintroduce the bill. If we can sell an old laptop or iPad that’s just going to sit in a warehouse and get thrown away, that’s going to make a huge difference. I just want to put this piece of equipment in a student’s hand for $50 instead of $500.

Outside of CCRI, you spend some of your free time making your own wine. Can you take us through the process?

I do six gallons at a time, which amounts to roughly 18 gallons twice a year. I order three vats of the must, which is the grape juice, in the fall from Italy, and in the spring I get three or four from Argentina. It’s the hardest six hours you’ll spend over a six-month period. You start by putting a little yeast in to begin the fermenting process, you let it sit until it gets to a certain temperature, and then you have to move it from one container to another, add a couple of chemicals, let it sit for six weeks, then rack it again. When you’re adding the chemicals, you have to be really careful and specific. About halfway through, you add a clay that floats to the bottom and draws all the sediment. Then you have to rack that and get all of that stuff out. I probably do that three or four times just to constantly keep the wine pure. It’s about six months between the start of it and then the bottling.

Where do you keep the finished product?

I used to have a garage. Let’s put it that way. I probably have about 130 bottles at my home right now. 

We would love to hear your story, too! Email us at [email protected] if you’d like to be featured in a future edition of “Off the Cuff” or want to nominate a co-worker.

Share this story