This year marked the inaugural edition of the Transact Distinction Awards, presented at the Transact annual Spring Training users’ conference. This year's event was held in San Diego, Calif. in March, and university recipients were presented with their awards and recognized for their achievements on stage.

The Transact Distinction Awards are designed to honor Blackboard university clients that work to elevate the student experience through innovation and excellence using the Transact ecosystem of solutions. Winners are selected by a cross-functional team of Transact experts.

"We value both the relationships we have with our clients and their innovative uses of our technology," says David Marr, CEO of Transact. "We’re proud to recognize our inaugural Distinction Awards winners for their outstanding accomplishments and their tireless commitment to the students they serve."

Each of the awards recognizes winners in two categories: Payments and transactions & credentials.

Distinction Award for Student Experience

This award honors those institutions whose technological innovations have markedly improved the total student experience. This includes their addressing of new and changing dynamics in fields such as student recruitment, engagement, and retention.

• Payments winner: Tyler Junior College, Tyler, TX
• Transactions & credentials winner: University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC

Distinction Award for Marketing & Outreach

This award honors those institutions who have creatively and effectively promoted their technological advances on campus. Award recipients will have used a variety of marketing efforts to enhance the visibility and value of campus credentials, payment plans, or other technology initiatives that elevate the institution’s brand.

• Payments winner: Ohio University, Athens, OH
• Transactions & credentials winner: University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Whitewater, WI

Distinction Award for Innovation

This award is presented to institutions on the forefront of campus technology innovation. It recognizes campuses who have developed and implemented high impact technology strategies that scale. Award recipients will have developed practices or technologies that have had a measurable effect on the student experience. The Distinction Award for Innovation recognizes institutions that promote the widespread adoption of innovative technologies with the potential to provide superior student experiences, frictionless administrative workflows, or greater institutional intelligence.

Payments winner: Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA

Transactions & credentials winner: Awarded as a collective to Transact's initial Mobile Credential campuses. These institutions were chosen for their instrumental role in working through and releasing the Mobile Credential solution:

• The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
• Duke University, Durham, NC
• University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK
• Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
• Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
• Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA