A growing number of campuses are using mobile devices to facilitate ID card verification. One of the solutions that's ready to meet this trend head on is Vision Database Systems' PockeTracker solution, which leverages sleds -- or pieces of hardware that attach to the outside of existing smartphones -- to read the full range of campus card technologies.

In today's podcast hear from Zack Walker of Vision Database Systems on why a solution like PockeTracker is such a good fit for campus environments and his thoughts on Madison Area Technical College's advanced deployment of the system. Then, hear from Madison College's Doug Gerbitz, who has overseen the PockeTracker deployment across the college's system of campuses, about the ways in which mobile ID verification is being utilized.

Today's podcast is just a small preview of our free 25-minute, on-demand webinar where we dive deeper into how campuses can use smartphones to log attendance and other vital student traffic information. The webinar discusses both the mobile capabilities of PockeTracker with its handheld sleds, as well as the backend system that handles reporting and privileges.

The webinar is also where you can hear more on how Madison College is using mobile ID verification to monitor access to its campus health clinic, issue valuable city bus passes to students, and monitor student access to the college’s campus-to-campus shuttle service. Check out the full, free webinar here.

Northwestern University is set to launch a comprehensive review of its campus-wide food service strategy and will seek proposals from providers to help transform the its food service and dining experience.

According to an official university release, the dining reshuffle aims to create a "university-wide, high-quality food and dining experience." The food-service review will start with the university's office of Procurement and Payment Services announcing a request for proposals (RFP) to solicit plans and bids from food-service vendors interested in competing for the contract.

The exhaustive process will include input from a wide range of campus stakeholders, including students, faculty, staff, environmental accountability body SustainNU, and others. The RFP process will be dictated by an enterprise-wide food service strategy that prioritizes higher quality food, optimized services, creative meal plans, sustainability and cost effectiveness for both the university and its customers.

Northwestern will also seek a food-service partner that will honor the university's desire to support greater community relationships, with local sourcing, partnerships and hiring being priorities for the new contract. The new contract will also cover services like campus dining and meal plans, conference center support services, catering and concessions at athletics events, and vending.

Departments and schools involved in outlining the RFP included student affairs, the school of management, athletics and recreation, the school of medicine, the school of law, the school of engineering, and university auxiliary services.

Northwestern's current set of food service agreements all expire at the same time, giving the university a chance to review and redefine its food service at a global level. The goal for the RFP process, then, is to establish a comprehensive new contract beginning in the fall quarter of 2018.

“This review is not a direct reflection on the past performance of any particular vendor currently providing services to Northwestern,” says Jim Konrad, executive director of Procurement and Payment Services, and lead for the RFP process. “We expect strong proposals from all of the major providers of food service.”

The release goes on to reveal that Northwestern has engaged with a food-service consultant to help advise throughout the RFP process. The RFP is expected to be released in early October 2017, and the university will issue regular updates to its community throughout the process.

Students at Fresno City College don't have to worry about paying for their campus commute following a new initiative that will see the college offer free bus passes beginning with the upcoming academic year.

As reported by local affiliate FOX 26, Fresno City College president Dr. Carole Goldsmith suggests that the transit pass program will not only prove a valuable asset for current students who may have missed classes due to a lack of access to reliable transportation, but may also provide incentive for people who were hesitant to enroll at Fresno City College in the past.

In order to receive the free bus pass, students must be enrolled in classes at Fresno City College. Additionally, students will have to have purchased a campus card, dubbed the associated student body ID card, at a cost of $5.

At the time that students purchase their campus ID card, they will be given the option to add the free bus pass. One small caveat to the initiative, however, is the manner in which students will be verified when using the bus passes.

If the student opts for the free transit pass, a sticker denoting bus pass eligibility will be adhered to the ID card. The stickers will be verified by drivers and will enable student access to the Fresno Area Express (FAX) Bus for transportation to and from the Fresno City College campus.

The free bus passes are being funded by the State Center Community College District via parking fee fines.

Youngstown State University's new campus app is now live for student use, and hopes to boost student engagement and retention through regular use of its features.

The app is the result of a partnership with OOHLALA Mobile, a company who focuses on student engagement though its mobile platform. The Youngstown State campus app will provide students with the ability to use their smartphones to access course listings, event calendars, payment portals and other campus resources.

The app was designed by recent college graduates and student affairs professionals to glean valuable information regarding student engagement and retention. Also key to the new app is a focus on first-generation college students and those generally unfamiliar with the college experience.

"Our community includes a large population of commuters and first-generation college students, who often struggle with adjustment to college life, and an array of programs and resources," says Joy Byers, Director of Campus Recreation at Youngstown State University. "OOHLALA has helped us to 'go mobile' in a way that's intuitive for students, drawing on concepts familiar from the consumer web to help them access information and services all in one place."

Youngstown State is among the growing number of colleges and universities leveraging technology based strategies and tools to help first-generation college students navigate and leverage academic coaching, counseling, and other campus resources. Youngstown State serves nearly 13,000 students, 90% of whom are commuters who live with their families or in off-campus residences, and as of 2014 56% of the student population were first-generation college students.

"When they arrive on campus, new students are often overwhelmed by a barrage of information about campus activities and support services," says Danial Jameel, Co-Founder and CEO of OOHLALA. "The ubiquity of mobile computing now allows colleges and universities to engage their students through an intuitive, familiar platform that brings clarity and transparency to the campus experience."

The Youngstown Campus App incorporates mobile technology like smart calendars that sync with students' course schedule and Outloook365. The app also leverages GPS, and customizable alerts to help students navigate campus life. Faculty and student affairs staff are also using the app to anticipate student engagement in events and activities, and collect real-time data on the student experience. The app is available for free download in the iTunes and Google Play stores and integrates directly with Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Student Information Systems (SIS).

The University of South Carolina athletics has awarded a multi-year contract to Aramark for the management of food and beverage services at all on-campus athletic facilities.

Under the terms of the agreement, Aramark will provide food and beverage services for eight campus venues, including the university's Williams-Brice Stadium, Colonial Life Arena and Founders Park athletic facilities. To execute the agreement's premium dining and catering services, Aramark has partnered with Columbia, S.C.-based Southern Way Catering, which has managed concessions services at the football stadium for the past five years.

Aramark's agreement with USC athletics now makes the company the overall dining service vendor for the entirety of the university's dining services. Earlier this year, USC announced its partnership with Aramark to provide on-campus dining services at the university's 358-acre Columbia campus for its more than 46,000 and 2,100 full-time faculty members.

As part of the new agreement with USC athletics, the fan experience for Gamecock sporting events will be core to the overhaul with plans to renovate quality, convenience and innovation in its dining operation.

Over the first year, the primary focus will be to expedite service, upgrade basic cooking equipment and update point-of-sale technology. Future changes will include an expansion to menu offerings, a modernization of the look and feel of existing concessions facilities, and introduction of new concepts.

Verifying student IDs on campus is a vital task for every institution. But as the modern campus continues to evolve and the number of ID verification environments grows, so too does the need for flexibility and mobility in how student IDs are verified.

A growing trend in verification is the use of mobile devices to facilitate the scanning of IDs, and a growing number of campuses are taking notice. With this in mind, we partnered with Vision Database Systems to discuss the use of mobile devices for ID verification.

In a free 25-minute, on-demand webinar hear how campuses can leverage existing smartphones to log attendance and other vital student traffic information all while scanning the full range of campus card technologies. In the webinar, we discuss specifically the PockeTracker solution from Vision Database, which leverages sleds — or pieces of hardware that attach to a smartphone to scan student IDs — and the solution’s backend system that handles reporting and privileges.

The solution has already been deployed at campuses across the country, and joining the webinar is one of the institutions that is using PockeTracker to it’s fullest potential — Madison Area Technical College. Hear how Madison College is using mobile ID verification solutions from Vision Database to monitor access to its campus health clinic, issue valuable city bus passes to students and monitor student access to the College’s campus-to-campus shuttle service.

If your campus is looking for an increasingly agile and flexible means to verify campus cards, or if you've already considered a mobile-based solution, our "Mobile ID Verification Made Easy" webinar will offer some valuable insight into how to get started.