North Carolina State University is making changes to its campus card, the Wolfpack One Card, with students, faculty and staff able to get their hands on the new credential this June. Among the changes is the ability for campus card holders to use their ID for debit transactions if they have a PNC Bank account.
As reported by student publication, The Technician, the redesign comes off the back of PNC Bank being named the official bank of NC State in October. The card, which has not been changed in several years, was redesigned for two reasons: modifications need to be made to accommodate the new relationship with PNC, and to make some security related modifications.
The new credentials will include a larger photo and will see student identification numbers moved to the back of the card. The front of the card will also feature a new university hallmark designed by University Communications.
“The key design features from a security standpoint are that it has a much larger photo and it has more white space so that it can be visually scanned a lot easier,” said Jennifer Gilmore, director of marketing and communication for Campus Enterprises. “It features their preferred name on the front, their legal name on the back, along with the student ID number on the back.”
The new ID cards will be distributed to incoming students during orientation this summer, while existing Wolfpack One Cards will continue to function normally and be phased out over time.
The new partnership between NC State and PNC Bank is expected to provide valuable services for students, faculty and staff, specifically in regard to the use of Wolfpack One Cards.
“The relationship with PNC is really expanding that so that a student can use their Wolfpack One Card and link it to a PNC checking account so that they can use a debit swipe with PIN transaction on campus,” said Rich Steele, interim associate vice chancellor for Campus Enterprises.
Students that elect to link their Wolfpack One Card with a PNC Bank account can also use the student ID for off-campus transactions and at PNC ATMs. PNC recently installed six ATMs on the NC State campus with a seventh on the way.
Any current students, faculty and staff can replace their old Wolfpack One Cards with the new credential if they want to link to their PNC account. Other cardholders can continue to use their existing ID without any interruption to card services.
The new PNC branch that is currently under construction on NC State's campus will be an electronic branch, or e-branch. Once construction is completed, the PNC e-branch will be directly adjacent to the Wolfpack One Card office.