Card, mobile credential, payment and security
At the CampusIDNews booth (#113) in the NACCU exhibit hall, the CampusIDNews team is shooting short (5-8 minute) video interviews with campus leaders and exhibitors profiling things happening, shaping, or confronting their programs and our industry.
I would like to invite you to participate and share your insights with other NACCU members and higher ed professionals via our audience of 6,500+ subscribers. As a thank you, we'll give you a $50 gift card/poker chip.
Though it need not be earth shattering, we ask that you have something special you’d like to discuss – such as a new initiative, product launch, challenge, or other topic. Think of something your team has done or wrestled with that could be of interest to your peer institutions.
Grab your 15-minute slot using the calendar link below, think about your topic, and get ready to cash in on your $50 gift card/poker chip.
Exhibitors: We are also scheduling video interviews to take place in your booths, so please grab a slot via the calendar link below to let us share your message. Sadly, the $50 thanks you's are reserved for campus reps 🙂
Thanks for supporting NACCU and CampusIDNews.
See you in Las Vegas,
Chris Corum
Editor, CampusIDNews
[email protected]
*Note that the timeslots on the reservation calendar display in your time zone rather than the Las Vegas time zone (PDT). This is so your calendar and reminders will show the correct time when you are on site. Please keep that in mind as you select your timeslot.
Campus reps click here to reserve your time slotExhibitors click here to reserve your time slot
Allegion and Atrium announced a strategic alliance, whereby the “two companies are establishing a formal partnership to revolutionize access control, credentialing, and campus one card solutions,” says the Allegion press release.
The release is short on details, but it likely signals bigger news to come.
We are excited to partner with Allegion with an initial focus on accelerating mobile credential adoption.
The announcement focuses largely on mobile credential adoption, with verbiage like “this collaboration establishes a joint dedication to innovation as higher education institutions increasingly adopt a mobile first approach.”
Mobile, it would seem, will be the focus of this more formalized partnership.
Atrium President and CEO, Tammy Johnson, affirms this saying, “we are excited to partner with Allegion with an initial focus on accelerating mobile credential adoption.”
“Atrium has achieved remarkable success with their cloud native campus card solutions, offering campuses more partnerships and options with an open market approach that resonates within the industry,” says Mark Casey, vice president, National Electronics Sales at Allegion.
In a recent episode of the Higher Ed Geek Podcast, host Dustin Ramsdell spoke with Taran Lent, SVP of Product Development and Technology at Transact. With a career spanning 25 years in EdTech, Lent has unique insight into the opportunities and challenges institutions face today. The transition to cloud-based solutions, the increasing role of user experience in product development, and the emerging trends shaping the industry are just a few of the topics covered.
Lent emphasized that higher education is undergoing a significant transformation with the migration of enterprise systems to the cloud. Many institutions have relied on on-premise enterprise systems for over two decades, and these systems are deeply integrated into campus operations. Moving to the cloud presents numerous advantages, but it also requires campuses to rethink how they operate.
Institutions have historically built custom solutions with direct database access. In a cloud-based environment, such practices are no longer secure or compliant. Instead, newer integration technologies like APIs, event-driven architectures, and SDKs are becoming the standard. While these technologies offer greater efficiency and security, they also require a shift in how institutions develop and maintain their systems.
People will say, mobile first, and then you'll see somebody demonstrate software on a laptop or on a PC. That's not mobile first.
Beyond technology, cloud migration necessitates significant change management. Many business processes were designed years ago, often by individuals who are no longer at the institution, and may not be well documented. He highlights the importance of embracing business process reengineering to optimize workflows rather than merely replicating old processes in a new cloud environment.
When discussing how product development in has evolved, he points to the increasing focus on user experience. Today’s students have high expectations for digital experiences, and they expect university applications to be intuitive, aesthetically pleasing, and mobile-friendly.
Mobile-first design is becoming critical, but while many institutions claim to prioritize mobile-first development, they often design software with desktop users in mind. To truly embrace mobile-first principles, universities need to ensure that applications function seamlessly on smaller screens, making interactions as efficient as possible.
“People will say, mobile first, and then you'll see somebody demonstrate software on a laptop or on a PC,” says Lent. “That's not mobile first.”
The shift to cloud-based solutions has also changed software development methodologies. Traditional waterfall approaches, where updates were released once or twice a year, are being replaced by agile development and continuous delivery. Cloud environments allow for faster bug fixes, incremental enhancements, and more frequent feature rollouts.
Looking ahead, Lent identified three key trends shaping the future of higher education technology: biometrics, artificial intelligence (AI), and continued cloud adoption.
Click to hear the full interview
More episodes of the Higher Ed Geek podcast series are available online.
San Francisco State University students now have the option to add their campus ID to their preferred mobile device. Students, faculty, and staff can add this new version of the SFSU OneCard to their Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, or Samsung Wallet.
The project was completed with the help of SFSU’s transaction system provider, Transact.
Unlike many institutions, SFSU allows both the physical OneCard and the mobile credential to be used in tandem, so students don’t need to choose between the two credentials.
The mobile version supports all the same functions as the physical card with the exception of the Gator Pass transit program.
According to SFSU’s OneCard website, they “recommend you retain your physical OneCard as a back-up should you lose your mobile device.”
The mobile version supports all the same functions as the physical card – ID, library card, resident hall access, reprographics, meal plans, and Gator Dollars – with the exception of the Gator Pass transit program.
The Gator Pass allows SFSU students to access San Francisco’s public transit system in the same was as the city’s Clipper card – the all-in-one transit card for the Bay Area. It enables unlimited rides on many Bay Area transportation services.
To set-up the mobile credential, students must have a valid SFSU account and an approved photo.
The account consists of SFSU email access and multi-factor authentication login.
If an approved photo is already on file in the OneCard system, the user can proceed to download the mobile credential. If not, they must first go through the university’s online photo submission process.
Next, the user downloads the latest version of the Transact eAccounts app to enable mobile credential registration.
Finally, the credential is downloaded to the mobile device, and the user is ready to go.
An article in Southern Mississippi University’s student paper, addressed concerns over the perceived high cost of replacement ID cards.
“A scratched magnetic stripe on a Southern Miss student ID can cost $20, limiting access to dorms or meals,” begins the SM2 piece. “For many students, this price is an unexpected burden.”
Campus card and auxiliary service professionals understand that replacement cards cost the institution money, and they often serve as an important source of revenue to fund the card program.
To the students, however, the fees can seem onerous.
Two-thirds of institutions charge between $15 and $50 for replacement cards with the average hovering around $20.
The article provides a glimpse into the student perspective, and it can help card office managers better position the fees in student facing interactions and materials.
Here are some key points students made against the fees:
The author goes on to quote the Southern Miss website saying, student ID cards are permanent and must be reused throughout a student’s time at the university unless they purchase a new one.
But, the article says, students argue that the card is not strong enough to withstand normal use. “This (leaves) students questioning why the appearance is changing, but not the issue with the card’s durability.”
While the $20 replacement card fee may seem excessive to the article’s author, it is not out of the norm when compared to other campuses.
Two-thirds of institutions charge between $15 and $50 for replacement cards with the average hovering around $20, according to the NACCU 2023 Campus Profile Summary Report.
The issue isn’t the fee. It is the student perception of the fee.
That puts the Southern Miss card program in line with its peer organizations.
The issue, however, isn’t the fee. It is the student perception of the fee.
The lesson is to keep this perception in mind and be prepared to explain it in a way that students will understand. Acknowledge their concerns but provide ideas to protect the card and explain its crucial role on campus.
Consider ways to more proactively share this message at different touchpoints such as orientation, issuance, photo upload, website, signage, and social media. It may help ease student frustration, whether it is outward as in the Southern Miss case, or pent up as is likely the case at most institutions.
A fleet of 105 autonomous food delivery “rovers” are making more than 1,000 deliveries daily via a partnership between Ohio State and Avride robots.
The university upgraded to the new autonomous rovers from Avride in early 2025, replacing the previous Cartken models that rolled out three years ago.
The new rovers are reducing delivery costs and increasing efficiency.
While traditional food delivery services can charge $4 to $15 in fees, OSU’s rovers offer a $2.50 flat fee per order.
While traditional food delivery services can charge $4 to $15 in fees, OSU’s rovers offer a $2.50 flat fee per order. Additionally, they reduce campus traffic congestion by exclusively using sidewalks, making deliveries safer and more predictable.
The rovers are integrated with Ohio State’s Grubhub ordering system so students can request robot delivery right from the app. Once an order is ready, dining staff loads it into the rover which autonomously navigates to its destination.
The service is available from 7 am to 10 pm daily.
At the end of the day, the robots return to a repurposed Barnes & Noble store on campus to recharge and receive any required maintenance.
At the end of the day, the robots return to a repurposed Barnes & Noble store on campus to recharge and receive any required maintenance. They have a 12-hour battery life, so in some cases a rover may need to return at another point during the day.
If there is not time for a recharge, however, staff doesn’t need to plug it in and wait. Instead, batteries can easily be easily swapped out for new ones in about 30 seconds.
The new rovers offer advanced autonomous navigation, recognizing traffic signals and estimating vehicle speeds. Each unit weighs 200 pounds and operates without human intervention.
They feature digital screens with animated "eyes" that blink and express emotions. OSU’s dining team adds messages such as “Go Buckeyes!” during football season.
According to an article in the Columbus Dispatch, they feature digital screens with animated "eyes" that blink and express emotions. OSU’s dining team has customized messages for special occasions – such as “Go Buckeyes!” during football season and heart-eyed expressions on Valentine’s Day. Staff occasionally include free beverages or handwritten notes, making the experience more enjoyable.
Avride, headquartered in Austin, is a developer of autonomous driving technology that specializes in both driverless cars and now delivery robots.
The company originated from the Yandex self-driving car project which began in 2017. At the start of the Ukrainian war, Yandex’s Russian ties brought international pressure on its Dutch parent company to divest of its Russian assets.
Lidars, cameras, and ultrasonic sensors enable them to safely travel at 5 miles per hour in challenging terrain.
The autonomous vehicle and robot efforts were spun out in 2024, and Avride became an independent AV start-up under the umbrella of the Dutch Nebius Group.
Even prior to Ohio State’s launch of the Cartken robots, the institution had planned to introduce Yandex robots, but the launch was halted.
Now the robots are back, utilizing software developed for the company’s autonomous cars. Lidars, cameras, and ultrasonic sensors enable them to safely travel at 5 miles per hour in challenging terrain.
The goal of the integration between the Grubhub ordering app and the Avride robots is to bring autonomous robot delivery to colleges across the country, says a Grubhub announcement.
“Avride’s robots are intelligent and reliable—even in challenging conditions like rain or snow,” says Grubhub. “They boast a spacious compartment that can handle anything from a quick snack between classes to an assortment of pizzas and drinks for a get together with friends.”
If the Ohio State rollout continues with its initial success, we could see these new rovers on other campuses soon.
North Carolina was a key battleground state when it came to voting rights last year. The stark division between political parties kept many campuses guessing whether their campus IDs would be accepted at the polls.
Some institutions made changes to their issuance process and provided specialized IDs for the sole purpose of meeting requirements. Others were in the middle of a debate as to whether a mobile credential was ‘as acceptable’ as a physical card.
Two campus administrators who experienced this firsthand guided the discussion in the NACCU-hosted webinar – Debbie DeYulia, Director of Duke Card Services at Duke University and Roman Farhrman, Director of IT for Business Services at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte.
Duke's mobile ID was declined because they did not require users to upload a government ID when they submit their photo and they didn't have an expiration date.
Voter ID requirements vary from state to state. Some require photo IDs, and in some cases college or university IDs approved by the State Board of Elections are accepted. Typically, student voting eligibility depends on voter registration and residency status – students can vote locally if they update their registration. Otherwise, they must vote by mail in their home state.
Fourteen states and D.C. do not require an ID. North Carolina has a "non-strict, non-photo ID" policy, allowing provisional ballots or affidavits for those without proper identification.
In North Carolina, more than 100 institutions had their IDs approved for the last election. This is an annual process, and each campus must resubmit for the new year.
Key rules for acceptance include:
In addition to the many campuses submitting their physical cards, Duke submitted their mobile ID for approval. It was denied.
“The two reasons were that we currently don't require folks to upload a government ID when they submit their photo,” explains DeYulia. “The second reason was we didn't have an expiration date and at that time we didn't have a way to put that on the mobile credential.”
At UNC Charlotte, changing voter ID laws coincided with reissuance of NFC credentials, rebranding, and ultimately a mobile credential launch. Farhrman explains that issues with expiration dates and disparities between iPhone, Samsung, and Android use cases kept them from submitting their mobile ID to for consideration.
Initially Chapel Hill's was accepted because they used a custom field in mobile ID to display an expiration date. This worked for them was because they only issued iPhone credentials.
UNC Chapel Hill’s mobile ID was approved, but shortly before the election it was struck down by the court of appeals.
Initially it was accepted because they used a custom field in mobile ID to display an expiration date which then shows up in the app. The reason this worked for them was because they only issued iPhone credentials, so Android and Samsung challenges did not apply. Still, in the end the acceptance was reversed.
The webinar provides an in-depth look at the use of campus cards for voter ID with specific attention paid to the particular challenges for mobile credentials.
Tune in to NACCU<em>TV</em> to watch the webinar
The student senate at Michigan’s Grand Valley State University (GVSU) is pushing the university to adopt mobile credentials. In campus ID circles, we often hear of student pressure as a driver for mobile adoption, and this is a perfect example.
Last month, the senate unanimously passed legislation asking that GVSU explore the potential for replacing the current contactless cards with mobile IDs.
Specifically, the bill says:
“Let it Be Resolved, that Grand Valley State University explores the feasibility of creating and implementing a secure digital student ID system accessible via smartphones and other devices; and Furthermore, Let it Be Resolved, that the University evaluates the costs and timeline for implementation, the infrastructure requirements for integration, necessary measures to ensure data privacy and security, and potential partnerships with technology providers.”
As with any student-driven initiative, there are many steps between a request and a reality. Still student influence is an important driver on any campus.
The bill was sponsored by the Senate’s Chief of Staff, Evan Jackson.
“Digitizing student IDs will improve convenience, accessibility and sustainability on campus,” says Jackson in a Grand Valley Lathorn article. “Students already use their phones for most daily tasks and transactions, and carrying a physical ID can be an extra hassle, especially when lost or forgotten.”
The bill’s overview of the potential benefits of mobile credentials is quite good. It aligns well with the language of industry advocates.
Examples of the reasons for implementation cited by the senate include:
“The lives of students are busy, and any way that campus can be made more convenient is something worth investing in,” says Student Senate Public Relations Chair Ty Vanlerberghe. “Students can have one less thing to juggle when attending (sporting) events, utilizing campus recreation and accessing campus dining,”
As with any student-driven initiative, there are many steps between a request and a reality. Still student influence is an important driver on any campus. This trend toward more official student pressure to consider mobile credentials, as seen at GVSU, is likely to grow.
Yale students are visualizing their on-campus dining history in a unique way thanks to a new service called Yale Hospitality Wrapped. It was created by an undergraduate computer science major and based on the incredibly popular Spotify service of the same name.
Spotify launched its Spotify Wrapped in 2016 as a tool to let users see a visual representation of their music preferences over the course of the year. It became a viral marketing phenomenon as millions shared their personal Wrapped on social media. In the years that followed, virtually every streaming service has jumped on the bandwagon and even learning sites like Duolingo have added their own annual wrap-up.
Now it’s campus dining’s turn.
He “reverse engineered” the Transact API to access the HTML data from the user’s account, synthesize the swipe data, and compute the individual account holder’s statistics.
For Yale Hospitality Wrapped, the concept is similar. Show the student when they dined, where they dined, and how often they dined.
Yale undergraduate Anish Lakkapragada created the Chrome extension that – after just one semester – is already used by more than 10% of his classmates.
“Everyone likes to compare and categorize,” he says. “We have things like chicken tender Tuesday and all these traditions, so people want to see how much they go.”
Lakkapragada uses the meal swipe data from Yale’s Transact Campus system to build the users’ dining hall wraps.
He “reverse engineered” the Transact API to access the HTML data from the user’s account, so it grabs the HTML pages, synthesizes the swipe data, and computes the individual account holder’s statistics.
When a student installs the Yale Hospitality Wrapped Chrome Extension, they click the button saying add to Chrome, and it automatically takes them to Yale’s central authentication page where they enter their NetID and password. Once signed in, the extension does the rest.
Campus card and transaction systems hold many more data points beyond meal swipes, and Lakkapragada is eager to explore other areas. Stored value, access control, and rec center transactions are of specific interest.
Currently, Wrapped is available for the fall 2024 semester, but it will be changed to analyze spring 2025 meal swipes at the end of the semester. Though it would not be true to the year-end concept of a typical wrapped, he says the extension could be modified to allow users to set their own timelines.
Lakkapragada has already expanded the dining hall wrapped to another major university, and he emphatically says he’d welcome others to get on board.
Until he built Wrapped, he says he really did not know about his dining usage.
He found he used 156 meals wipes during the semester, averaging 1.5 meals per day. He believes that he, like so many students, under-utilize their meal plans, and Yale Hospitality Wrapped could help them better take advantage of it.
“I pay for three meals wipes per day, but obviously, I'm a student and I’m not waking up for breakfast,” he jokes.
Yale Hospitality Wrapped screenshot
One of the extension’s most popular data points is the diversity score. It is calculated based on the number of dining locations a student visits during the term. If you frequented every location, you’d attain the maximum scored of 100, but if you ate at the closest dining hall for every meal, you score would be zero.
Student are using social media to share and compare diversity scores. Lakkapragada hopes this aspect will encourage students to explore other dining options on campus.
This could be a great benefit to dining services as well.
“We actually did speak with Yale Hospitality about the project, and they were excited and supportive,” he says. “They were surprised and receptive to it.”
Today, the data is disparate and tied only to each unique user. Anonymously aggregating the results across all the participants, however, could give a very different and interesting perspective.
Anish Lakkapragada, Developer of Yale Hospitality Wrapped
Lakkapragada says that is one of the reasons he would like to advance the project from a Chrome extension to a web app. As a website, there would be more flexibility to aggregate data, expand functionality, and include other campuses.
“If any other university that uses Transact is interested – a student, an administrator, a Transact Campus developer – I'm more than receptive to sharing code,” he says.
Why did he do it?
“Creating software is one of my favorite pastimes, and I like seeing my stuff being used on someone else's computer,” he says. “I always feel really happy.”
Anish Lakkapragada is a first-year undergraduate at Yale University double majoring in computer science and mathematics. He encourages anyone interested in contributing to the project or bringing a dining hall wrapped to their campus, to contact him at [email protected].
The Modern Campus – Solving Identity Challenges in Higher Education is the title for an upcoming 30-minute webinar with ColorID. The event will take place on Tuesday, March 18, 2025 at 2:00 pm - 2:30 pm EDT.
The event is billed as a “comprehensive approach to credential and identity management that addresses the evolving challenges in the higher education market.”
The desire for flexibility and interoperability is driving institutions to reconsider traditional approaches to identity management. This includes rethinking the systems of record that control identity data and the ownership of these systems.
The desire for flexibility and interoperability is driving institutions to reconsider traditional approaches to identity management. This includes rethinking the systems of record that control identity data and the ownership of these systems.
This 30-minute session is intended to help identify these challenges and present options for implementing future-ready solutions.
Topics include:
According to ColorID, the event is designed for campus card managers, IT and security professionals, identity and access management teams, and business and operations leaders.
Presenters include ColorID owner Danny Smith and the company’s director of product management David Stallsmith.
Register Now
