Card, mobile credential, payment and security
Olivia Bedard, IT Service Center Associate at North Dakota State University, explains how her campus card office transformed day-to-day operations by implementing a structured support management system. After merging with the IT Help Desk, they ceased tracking issues manually with spreadsheets. Instead, every interaction that results in support is documented through a ticket, creating a reliable audit trail and giving staff a single place to find information when questions or problems arise.
The office created service request forms for common card transactions, including new, lost, and replacement Bison IDs. Conditional prompts guide student employees through each request, automatically changing requirements based on whether they're helping a student, employee, or another type of cardholder. The result has been more consistent service and a simpler training process for student employees.
The office created service request forms for common card transactions, including new, lost, and replacement Bison IDs. The result has been more consistent service and a simpler training process for student employees.
She explains that if a student comes in, I select "student" on the form, and it tells me that the charge needs to go to the student's account rather than a credit card. If an employee comes in, I select "employee," and the form tells me the charge goes to departmental funding.
When a new employee previously came in, we needed a letter from their supervisor confirming that the person was authorized to receive an ID card and providing the appropriate funding information.
Now, an HR representative or the employee's supervisor goes to our service request portal and requests the Bison ID card. We've also created service requests for things like summer program cards.
Bedard says the benefits extend beyond the front desk, creating a single source of truth for her entire operations. Standardized data makes records more reliable and gives the office a much clearer picture of its operations. Staff can quickly analyze when certain types of IDs are being produced, identify busy periods, and track trends that were much harder to see when information lived in spreadsheets.
While Bedard's office uses an IT service management platform, she stresses that campuses don't necessarily need the same technology to adopt the approach. Tools such as Google Forms or SharePoint could also provide structured documentation and a reliable source of information.
Just as important is keeping the process flexible. She encourages card office leaders to listen to the student employees who use these systems every day. Questions or confusion from staff can reveal gaps in a process and provide opportunities to improve the forms over time. For Bedard, the goal is a system that is consistent, auditable and reliable, but also able to evolve as the office's needs change.
TRANSCRIPT:
Having some sort of card job tracking system or log sheet that exists outside of your one card service is helpful because it gives you a single source of truth.
If something happens with my printer or systems, my students have an audit trail. They can go back, find the correct information, and make sure nothing gets lost.
It's completely changed our ability to provide consistent service to our campus. We don't run into situations where a student walks in and we're not quite sure what happened. We're not fumbling around looking for information to try to solve the problem. It's completely changed the scale of our operations.
For us, having that separate tracking system and doing things within our IT service management system has provided that single source of truth.
One of the things I've learned is that there really is no single standard or method for how a card office operates at a university.
For us, having that separate tracking system and doing things within our IT service management system has been very important. But there may be other services or programs that can provide that same single source of truth and ensure the information you need is available and reliable.
I worked in the card office as a student, and my typical day involved looking at an Excel spreadsheet. Every credential number from a new box of cards would go onto that spreadsheet. From there, I would enter the first and last name and ID number.
But this was all on a static Excel sheet. If I typed in the wrong number, made a typo in somebody's name, or didn't save my sheet at the end of the day, essential information could be lost.
Our card office merged with the IT Help Desk in August 2024.
One of the requirements of that merger was that any contact at our front desk that resulted in a student, staff member, or other person receiving support had to be documented through a ticket in our IT service management system.
That was the main push that got us into the system.
We use a set of service requests. At many universities, if you need a new computer, docking station, peripheral, or software service, you fill out a form that includes required information such as departmental funding and information about the person making the request.
We took that model and built service request forms for our ID cards.
When a new employee previously came in, we needed a letter from their supervisor confirming that the person was authorized to receive an ID card. Now, the employee's supervisor goes to our service request portal and requests the Bison ID card.
Anything that comes to our front desk, whether someone needs a new Bison ID, lost their Bison ID, or is a new student, gets documented using the same form with conditional prompts.
If a student comes in, I select "student" on the form, and it tells me that the charge needs to go to the student's account rather than a credit card. If an employee comes in, I select "employee," and the form tells me the charge goes to departmental funding.
It's completely changed our training systems and our students' ability to understand what's required of them right away on their first day.
We have one form that controls everything that comes through the front desk. That's our walk-in Bison ID form, and we use it for all our front desk operations. That's what our student staff fills out.
We also have forms that are completed by other members of campus.
For example, when a new employee previously came in, we needed a letter from their supervisor confirming that the person was authorized to receive an ID card and providing the appropriate funding information.
Now, an HR representative or the employee's supervisor goes to our service request portal and requests the Bison ID card. We've also created service requests for things like summer program cards.
We have one form that works internally and then additional forms for approvals that need to be made by other individuals on campus.
For our office, there's currently no additional cost because it's all handled through our IT Help Desk and IT team.
This doesn't necessarily have to be done within an IT service management system. I could easily see this being accomplished through Google Forms, SharePoint, or other tools that may already be available on different campuses.
Standardizing that data has completely changed our audit trails.
I can't type in the wrong name anymore because I have to select the person from the directory. Again, that's the single source of truth, relying on other data that we already have on campus.
Doing things in a system where "if it's not in a ticket, it didn't happen" has really improved our processes.
It's also completely changed my ability to look at our output and understand trends throughout the year.
At what times of year are we making IDs other than standard Bison IDs? When are the largest number of new employees coming in? I can answer those questions immediately through data exports from the system.
It's completely changed my ability to provide consistent service.
Doing things in a system where "if it's not in a ticket, it didn't happen" has really improved our processes. I like adhering to the IT service management model because it's consistent, auditable, and reliable.
One piece of advice I would offer is to leave the door open for criticism and questions from students and consistently check in with them.
These can be living documents. Things can change. You can change what's included in your forms based on the data you need.
If a student comes to me and says, "Hey, I don't understand what's going on," I can explain it and give them the information they need to provide that service. Or they may have just identified a major gap in my process that I need to fix.
Leaving that line of communication open is essential.
Last year, SECANDA began the expansion of its SECANDA One Card Manager to create the more robust SECANDA Suite. The new platform is designed to provide a more unified and navigable interface for card office teams.
The SECANDA Suite is an all-in-one identity platform that includes the company’s Secure, Pay, Access, and Connect modules. It supports both physical and mobile IDs. The latest update – scheduled to go live in 2027 – improves tracking and visibility for usage, payment, and access data.
Key changes to the SECANDA Suite were unveiled at the NACCU Annual Conference in April. According to the company, attendees found the new dashboard to be extremely user-friendly because of its streamlined reporting and customizability.
Our goal was to deliver actionable visibility without the need to dig through disconnected databases.
"When we set out to evolve the SECANDA One Card Manager into the SECANDA Suite, our goal was to deliver actionable visibility without the need to dig through disconnected databases,” says Tatiana Tomley, Marketing and Business Development Manager, SECANDA Inc. “It puts real-time trend tracking, meal plan usage, and access events at your fingertips, so administrators can monitor their entire ecosystem at a glance.”
Recent enhancements include additional customization features and automated management of user roles. The platform has always enabled unlimited user groups to support diverse campus populations, but now administrators can build preset rules. By setting up common user profiles for access, payment, and more, card office staff can save time and reduce errors.
Tomley notes that higher education environments are dynamic, and this is where SECANDA’s new automated roles and rules come in.
Card office staff no longer have to manually piece together complex permissions. Instead, they simply package a pre-set role and deploy it instantly.
“A student employee, for example, needs front-desk access in the morning, dorm entry all day, and specific dining perks,” she explains. “Card office staff no longer have to manually piece together complex permissions. Instead, they simply package a pre-set role and deploy it instantly."
Examples of how a campus might use these profiles include:
For more than four decades SECANDA has provided integrated solutions for digital identity, access control, and payment ecosystems. Today, the company serves more than 500 institutions worldwide, including 380 European universities. In 2025, they opened North American offices to serve the US and Canada. To learn more, visit secanda-inc.com or schedule a demo.
To see these new features in action, register for SECANDA’s NACCU-hosted webinar on October 8, 2pm EST.
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A new access control integration between Illumia and Genetec is designed to help higher ed institutions automatically update door access privileges when new credentials are issued or roles change.
The integration works with both Illumia’s on-prem TSE platform and its cloud-based Transact IDX platform. It connects the systems with the Genetec Security Center to enable data sharing. When a student gets a new ID or roles change, the system automatically updates which buildings and rooms they can access. This cuts the need for manual updates by campus staff.
Door access can account for more than 65% of all credential transactions on a typical residential campus.
According to Illumia, door access represents an estimated 65% to 70% of credential transactions on a typical residential campus. When access rights are managed manually, routine changes such as move-ins, access privileges, or credential updates increase administrative work for card offices, IT, and security departments.
The integration supports Illumia customers and prospects that use Genetec Security Center for door access on campus. It is used by campuses across North America to provide a unified platform to manage access control, video surveillance, and other security solutions.
The OneCard plug-in connects access control with transaction, one card, and credentialing systems. The architecture enables a bidirectional flow of data between the two platforms.
“As campuses adopt mobile credentials and more dynamic identity models, access control systems need to remain continuously aligned with those changes,” says Rick Taylor, National Director for Public Sector, Genetec Inc. “This integration helps organizations reduce manual work while improving the speed and consistency of access updates.”
Features include:
The Illumia and Genetec solution relies on its OneCard plug-in that connects access control with transaction, one card, and credentialing systems. The architecture enables a bidirectional flow of data between the two platforms.
According to Illumia, “it also helps campuses avoid the cost and upkeep of custom integrations between their credential system and door access software.”
Administrators can create, modify, and retire users, credentials, and access level assignments easily and immediately. Enabling this level of automatic door access assignments saves labor and improves security.
“Whether a campus needs a new system, has existing technology, or a mix of both, all schools need a way to connect those environments without relying on manual updates or custom one-off integrations,” says Scott Dennison, Sr. Director Partnerships at Illumia. “By connecting TSE and Transact IDX with Genetec Security Center, we’re helping schools modernize credentials and keep access rights current across the systems they already use.”
At Bellarmine University, Butler University, and Kansas State University, students and parents can pay tuition with a method they commonly use for other daily transactions – PayPal and Venmo.
This is possible because of recent integrations between PayPal and three leading campus payments solution providers. Collectively, the three partners – TouchNet, Illumia, and Nelnet Campus Commerce – serve thousands of colleges and universities nationwide.
PayPal and Venmo are already commonly used for consumer transactions, and the integrations extend those payment methods to tuition and fee payments.
Students want to use payment methods that fit how they manage their money, while institutions need those options to work within the systems and processes their teams already rely on.
For university administrators, this provides another way to expand payment choice without requiring students and families to leave established campus payment environments. In essence, it adds new options to an institution’s existing payment infrastructure.
Students and families can select their preferred funding source when paying through PayPal or Venmo, including bank accounts, credit cards, and available PayPal or Venmo balances. PayPal says transactions also receive its existing encryption and fraud-monitoring protections.
“Students and families want the flexibility to use payment methods that fit how they manage their money, while institutions need those options to work within the systems and processes their teams already rely on,” says Don Smith, SVP and general manager of Integrated Payments at Illumia.
That institutional integration is significant for campus payment administrators.
Adding alternative payment methods can improve the payer experience, but new options can also create additional reconciliation, reporting and operational challenges if they operate outside existing campus commerce infrastructure.
Jeremy Loch, president of TouchNet, says the integration is intended to provide greater payment choice while maintaining the visibility and efficiency campus teams require.
“This integration enables institutions to broaden choice and create a more frictionless payment experience for students and families, while preserving the efficiency and visibility campus teams need to support student success,” Loch says.
For campus business offices, the announcement reflects the continued consumerization of higher education payments. Students increasingly expect institutions to support the same digital payment methods they use elsewhere, while universities must balance that demand with requirements for security, integration, reporting and operational efficiency.
By integrating PayPal and Venmo directly into established higher education payment platforms, the initiative seeks to provide that consumer payment flexibility without creating a separate payment process for campus administrators.
Last year, PayPal and Venmo signed multi-year agreements with the Big Ten and Big 12 Conferences, positioning the payment platforms for both student-athlete disbursements and everyday campus commerce.
The project enables athletic departments to distribute institutional revenue-sharing payments directly to student-athletes through PayPal. The initiative followed the House v. NCAA settlement that pushed colleges and universities to share athletics revenue directly with student-athletes.
The plan is for these partnerships to extend beyond athletics payments. Venmo is working with the conferences to expand acceptance at campus bookstores and for ticketing, concessions and merchandise. It became an official partner across Big 12 football, basketball and Olympic sports championships and introduced Big 12 and school-branded Venmo debit cards.
There is no denying that PayPal and Venmo can make an impact on campus payments. While Visa and Mastercard remain far larger in total payment volume, PayPal is the largest provider of online payments.
Last year, the company reported 440 million active user and merchant accounts and 25 billion transactions.
Titus Johnson explains that Nova Southeastern University's transition to a new cloud-based card production system was a natural evolution of its long-standing relationship. For a decade, Nova has worked with Vision Database Systems so moving from the company’s older IDMS solution to its new EliteID product was an obvious choice.
Because of that partnership, the team was able to communicate specific needs, customize the platform, and work closely with together throughout the migration process.
Rather than moving everything at once, Nova adopted a phased rollout strategy. The team first defined requirements, tested extensively in a development environment, migrated only the data they wanted to keep, and then gradually moved into production. This approach helped identify issues early and allowed adjustments before full deployment.
One of the more time-consuming parts of the migration was determining which records to move into EliteID and which records to leave in IDMS. The team chose to migrate only current students, faculty, staff, vendors, and partners while retaining older alumni and affiliate records in the legacy system.
Johnson's biggest takeaway is the value of building strong relationships with technology vendors. He emphasizes that organizations should communicate both current needs and future goals so vendors can better tailor solutions, provide meaningful support, and help organizations plan for long-term success.
To check out the full interview, click the image at the top of this page.
TRANSCRIPT:
We've been partners with Vision Database Systems for over ten years, so the transition was only natural.
We were with IDMS (card production solution), and they came to us and said, “hey, this is our new system, and it's EliteID.” Because of the relationship we have with them, we can say, “this is what we're looking for … this is what we need,” and they'll go work on it. They'll build it within the system, and we're able to have it customized for us, which helps out greatly.
It was really easy going from A to B. We moved because of the flexibility, the options that were provided, and because we were able to customize and tailor the system to what we needed at Nova.
When we went live, it was during the summer, and we had two large orientation events. Issues surfaced during that time, but we were able to address them in real time.
We took a phased approach. First, we identified exactly what we wanted within the system. Once we had that figured out, we worked with EliteID to build those requirements. Before going live, everything went into a development environment. We tested it, worked through issues, gave feedback, and had updates made. That development phase took a couple of months.
Once we felt comfortable, we launched that portion of the system. After that came importing the records. When we first moved to production with EliteID, we didn't fully use it for a couple of weeks because we wanted to see how things operated and determine whether we needed to go back to development. We were able to work out the kinks.
The second phase involved uploading data, which took time because we were deciding what to keep, what not to keep, and how to import everything efficiently. We also wanted to avoid slowing down the software.
Phase one was development. Phase two was data migration. Phase three was going live.
When we went live, it was during the summer, and we had two large orientation events. Issues surfaced during that time, but we were able to address them in real time.
One of the biggest benefits of the phased approach was that it allowed us to understand exactly what we were working with. It gave us the opportunity to determine what features we wanted to add and what features we didn't need. In many cases, we realized some of the things we originally wanted weren't necessary.
It's like building a car. Before a car reaches the market, it gets tested over and over again. The phased approach allowed us to test extensively, determine what would work for our environment, and identify improvements before fully launching.
The phased rollout gave us time to evaluate what worked and what didn't. It also helped Vision because they could go back, make adjustments, update code, and improve the system based on our feedback.
It's like building a car. Before a car reaches the market, it gets tested over and over again. The phased approach allowed us to test extensively, determine what would work for our environment, and identify improvements before fully launching.
Throughout development, we discovered issues we were able to fix. As a result, if we ever have to migrate to another system in the future, we'll know exactly what to do based on our experience moving from IDMS to EliteID.
The biggest advice I would give is to develop a strong relationship with your vendors. Be able to talk to them, express your needs, and explain the importance of what you're trying to accomplish.
A lot of vendor relationships become transactional: “We need this.” “Okay, here's a product.” But when you build a relationship, you can have conversations about what you need, what you don't need, what should be added, and what should be removed so the system truly supports your operation.
In our latest CampusIDNews chat, Tom Costello introduces PopID, a biometric identity company that has spent nearly a decade building payment and identity solutions across restaurants, quick-service dining, and access control. The company's technology allows users to replace physical cards with biometric credentials such as facial recognition or palm scanning for both identification and payment.
Costello explains how the same biometric technology could simplify life on college campuses by replacing physical student IDs. He says students could access residence halls, dining facilities, and other campus services using only their face or palm, while institutions continue using their existing credentialing systems behind the scenes.
Students simply scan their face, and we pass the same credential the institution already uses today to authorize access to the dining hall.
Unlike physical ID cards that can be shared or borrowed, biometric credentials are tied directly to an individual. Costello highlights how this approach not only improves convenience but also strengthens campus security by reducing unauthorized access and misuse of student credentials.
Although PopID has not yet fully entered the higher education market, the company is actively pursuing partnerships and pilot programs, including an initial trial with Cal Poly Pomona. The goal is to give colleges another secure, frictionless credential option that integrates with existing campus systems.
TRANSCRIPT:
PopID is based out of Los Angeles, California. We're in the biometrics business, and we've been there now for about nine years, focused primarily on restaurants, QSR, and access control.
We've partnered with large restaurant brands like Steak 'n Shake and Whataburger, where we provide a biometric solution as an alternative to cards at self-service kiosks. When I approach a kiosk, I can simply check in using biometrics to access my loyalty points, previous orders, and make the entire ordering process much faster in unattended environments.
We can either retrofit existing equipment with cameras or work with partners like Verifone to provide payment terminals with our biometric technology already built in.
Users can also link a payment credential – whether that's a credit card, bank account, or digital wallet – directly to their biometric profile. That means I can simply wave my palm or smile to complete a payment.
We've worked with large payment acquirers to bring our biometric payment solution directly to businesses. We can either retrofit existing equipment with cameras or work with partners like Verifone to provide payment terminals with our biometric technology already built in. Whether organizations are upgrading hardware or enhancing existing equipment, installing the cameras is a straightforward process.
While we haven't officially launched at colleges yet, we've spent a lot of time learning about the higher education market. We've found that students are looking for alternatives to physical ID cards, both on campus and at nearby businesses.
By integrating with Atrium and matching a student's biometric identity to their Atrium ID, we can provide students with a seamless way to access dining services without needing their physical credential.
We're very interested in partnering with colleges to provide a biometric alternative to traditional campus credentials. For example, students often get locked out of residence halls because they've forgotten their ID card. Instead, they could enroll their face or palm, walk up to an access control reader, scan their biometric, and gain entry without needing a physical card.
The same approach can be used in campus dining. Students simply scan their face, and we pass the same credential the institution already uses today to authorize access to the dining hall.
We're currently exploring a pilot program with Cal Poly Pomona where biometrics will be used for dining hall access. By integrating with Atrium and matching a student's biometric identity to their Atrium ID, we can provide students with a seamless way to access dining services without needing their physical credential.
Biometrics also help reduce fraud. Students can easily hand someone else their ID card to gain access to a building or dining facility. A biometric credential, whether it's a face or palm scan, is tied directly to that individual, making it much more secure.
In this episode of CampusIDNews Chats, Alexa Rohr explains how her team approached the University of Arizona mobile credential project, completely rethinking the campus credential ecosystem from the ground up.
Rather than layering mobile wallets onto outdated infrastructure, the University of Arizona focused on creating a flexible, vendor-agnostic environment. It allowed the university to maintain ownership of its own data while keeping systems synchronized in real time. Rohr shares how the university developed two internal tools, Card Sync and Card Pulse. They centralized credential management, automate business rules, and monitor system health across campus integrations.
Being wallet agnostic was really important to us. We wanted to have parity across the board. We didn't want to go with Apple only or Google only.
The approach also prioritized inclusivity by launching support for NFC credentials in both Apple and Google wallets simultaneously, ensuring parity for students and staff regardless of device preference.
She says the operational side of the implementation required replacing meal plan systems, card production systems, point-of-sale infrastructure, campus readers, and downstream credential integrations. While the effort was significant, the university completed the full rollout in just 16 months.
Beyond the technical work, Rohr emphasizes that communication and storytelling were critical to gaining campus-wide buy-in. She encourages institutions to clearly define and share their vision early, highlighting not only security improvements, but also efficiency, cost savings, and user experience benefits.
To watch the full interview, click on the image at the top of this page.
TRANSCRIPT:
At the University of Arizona, when we wanted to go mobile we really took a step back and looked at our entire credential system top to bottom.
We wanted to be vendor agnostic. We wanted to own our own data. It was important to us to have that flexibility to add or change out a vendor as needed, and we wanted everything to be in sync in real time.
That was really the guiding principle of what we implemented.
We built two tools, Card Sync and Card Pulse.
Our model changed that in that our data comes into Card Sync in one spot. Whether it's physical credentials or our mobile credentials, Card Sync sends things downstream to all the systems.
Card Sync is the back-end system. It has all the business and data rules and the logic that you need. Card Pulse is the front end. It tells you if something is in sync, if there's a problem, how to fix it, and do so quickly and in real time.
All of that put together guided us to be flexible because we could do what we needed with the data real time.
Historically, implementations are really long and expensive. If you go from one system to another and you kind of get locked in. Somebody would own your data.
Because Card Sync owns all the rules, we don't have to configure each and every system on every end. That allows us to plug and play things because the rules are all defined and it does the work.
Our model changed that in that our data comes into Card Sync in one spot. Whether it's physical credentials or our mobile credentials, Card Sync sends things downstream to all the systems.
Because Card Sync owns all the rules, we don't have to configure each and every system on every end. That allows us to plug and play things because the rules are all defined and it does the work.
Being wallet agnostic was really important to us. We wanted to have parity across the board. We didn't want to go with Apple only or Google only. We wanted to make sure that our whole campus was inclusive.
We went live with both of them at the same time to meet users where they're at.
I think wallets are great because it works with NFC and it is more secure, it’s fast. Being in the wallet is definitely a benefit. I don't have to have a separate app code to scan it, and it's really where all technology is headed. I think it just aligns there well.
I definitely think that our approach is applicable to all institutions.
In order for us to go mobile, we had to replace our meal plan system, our card production system, point of sale, all of our readers across campus, add mobile, and then fix all of our downstream systems that absorb our credentials.
While that is a big lift, it was really important to do it all at once.
Can it apply to others? Absolutely.
Sometimes doing system by system can really cause that disparity and problem connecting it all in a really thoughtful way. We did all of it in 16 months.
They just need to take a look at everything they have on their campus and understand it, and then plan to try and do it at the same time, or in a way that puts them in a good space.
Sometimes doing system by system can really cause that disparity and problem connecting it all in a really thoughtful way.
We did all of it in 16 months, and that's not just implementation. That includes getting buy in, all the things.
The biggest thing I can say is share the vision. Be really clear on what you're trying to do and paint that story, tell the story, and keep going out there. When you talk to people, they just get really excited about it. All the benefits that come from it.
Don't just talk about security. Look at ways to save money by doing this as well – and the experience, painting that picture, people just want to do it.
The people on the project make a huge difference. We had a small core team of ten people working on the University of Arizona mobile credential project, and that's one of the reasons that really made it more affordable.
Find a team of people that want to do the work. That's my biggest advice.
The people on the project make a huge difference. We had a small core team of ten people, and that's one of the reasons that really made it more affordable.
You know, 16 months, less people. We brought people in and out as needed. But those ten people were so passionate that they were more productive than an entire huge team.
Bowling Green State University is launching new delivery robots from Avride just in time for the start of the Fall 2026 term. In mid-August, 30 robots will begin delivering food from the university’s dining options to locations across the campus.
Bowling Green is one of five U.S. higher ed institution to deploy Avride robots. Other clients include Ohio State, University of Arizona, and Indiana University Bloomington.
These new autonomous vehicles replace the prior robot fleet that launched on the campus in 2020. This program ended abruptly in June when robot provider Starship exited the higher ed market.
Avride’s business model, their design, and their integration with Grubhub provide a better system for both BGSU Dining and the people who are using the robot.
But the new solution is more than just a replacement, says Jon Zachrich, Director of Marketing and Technology for BGSU Dining. In an article on the university’s website, he says he views it as a major improvement to a service that students and faculty enjoy.
“Avride’s business model, their design, and their integration with Grubhub provide a better system for both BGSU Dining and the people who are using the robots,” says Zachrich.
The most significant change may not be the robots themselves but the overall experience. Students at Bowling Green, like other Starship campuses, relied on the Starship app to place delivery orders. Subsequently, campus dining services relied on data from the app to manage back of house order fulfillment and timing.
With the new system, all client facing interactions as well as back-of-house kitchen operations will be handled through a single Grubhub mobile ordering app. The Grubhub app is as robust as any in the market, and their experience supporting U.S. higher ed institutions is unmatched.
Grubhub improves the user experience and enables integration with Bowling Green’s meal plans, declining balance, and flex bucks as well as credit and debit cards.
The Grubhub factor improves the user experience. It also enables integration with Bowling Green’s meal plans, declining balance, and flex bucks as well as credit and debit cards.
According to the university, BGSU students will receive Grubhub Premium, eliminating delivery fees on eligible orders over $12. Other deliveries will incur a flat fee rather than a percentage. This change is expected to save students money compared to previous years.
To navigate their surroundings, Avride robots rely on LiDAR. Using laser pulses, LiDAR creates 3D models from up to 200 feet away, even without light.
“Avride was originally based on autonomous driving, so they were able to take a lot of that technology and create really safe robots,” says Zachrich. “It’s a better technology robot, which we’re excited about.”
These robots hold more cargo. They can carry six extra-large pizzas and five 1.5-liter bottles at a time – nearly double the capacity of the previous models.
Additionally, these robots hold more cargo. They can carry six extra-large pizzas and five 1.5-liter bottles at a time. According to Zachrich, that is nearly double the capacity of the previous models.
“Across the board, everybody is winning with this partnership,” Zachrich says. “Grubhub should provide a much better system and app architecture, and the actual robots themselves are larger and safer.”
Allegion's Jeff Koziol says DESFire has become the preferred credential technology standard on campus, and he advocates for a custom DESfire site key approach. This, he says, allows institutions to own and control their credential infrastructure rather than relying on a manufacturer-controlled system.
In this way, campuses gain greater flexibility in selecting vendors, integrating new technologies, and managing their overall access control ecosystem.
A major advantage of custom keys is the ability to maintain control over who participates in the campus access ecosystem.
Custom keys allow institutions to securely use credentials across multiple hardware platforms and technology partners without being locked into a single vendor.
Koziol explains that campuses using custom keys were better positioned during the chip shortage because they could source credentials from alternate suppliers. The approach also improves interoperability, allowing institutions to securely use credentials across multiple hardware platforms and technology partners without being locked into a single vendor.
Koziol also highlights Allegion’s AD electronic lock line, which was designed to adapt as credential technologies evolve. Rather than replacing entire lock systems when moving from magnetic stripe cards to contactless credentials or mobile wallets, campuses can often update reader components while retaining the existing lock hardware. This flexibility has allowed institutions to modernize their access control systems while avoiding costly infrastructure replacements.
He says the AD platform can be modified to meet changing operational needs, whether upgrading connectivity or reducing maintenance requirements. His key takeaway is that campuses should evaluate access control investments based on long-term cost of ownership, flexibility, and future adaptability rather than focusing solely on initial purchase costs.
To listen to the full interview, click the image at the top of this page.
TRANSCRIPT:
A big thing I’ll talk about today is our custom key DESFire approach.
DESFire is becoming the de facto standard for credential technology for those who are still using plastic credentials on their campuses.
An approach that we recommend is a site key where the institution basically owns its own key. What that does is give campuses more control over who they want to source from and who they want to be part of their ecosystem of partners.
Ohio State upgraded 2,300 offline AD-250 locks to online AD-400 locks. At the same time, they changed access control systems and updated reader heads to move from magnetic stripe to contactless credentials.
We saw this as a major advantage for campuses that had custom keys during the chip shortage period from 2021 to 2023. Campuses that owned their custom keys were able to find alternate card suppliers when needed.
It also allows institutions to control their ecosystem. It's a much more interoperable solution because it enables the secure segment of the card to be shared across RFID readers, Allegion readers, and even Assa Abloy locks. While Assa Abloy is a competitor, the approach allows the campus – not the manufacturer – to control the ecosystem.
We've seen a resurgence in is our AD electronic lock line.
The AD platform launched around 2011, and one of its key value propositions was that it was a modular lock platform. It was designed to be future-proof, allowing institutions to modify the lock to work with different credential technologies as they transitioned over time.
I've seen the progression from PIN codes to magnetic stripe cards, then prox cards, smart cards, and now mobile wallet credentials. Every time a transition occurred, many campuses had to replace their locks or readers entirely.
The AD platform allows for a much smoother transition because campuses can often change the reader head instead of replacing the entire lock.
We've recently seen examples of this at Ohio State, where they upgraded 2,300 offline AD-250 locks into online AD-400 locks. At the same time, they changed access control systems and updated reader heads to move from magnetic stripe to contactless credentials, with plans to support mobile wallet credentials in the future.
We've also seen other examples.
One campus in the Midwest had 1,500 AD-400 locks and grew tired of annual battery replacements. They are converting those locks to wired AD-300 configurations, so they no longer have to manage battery changes.
The AD platform is a lock solution that can grow and adapt alongside an institution's needs.
One campus in the Midwest converted 1,500 AD-400 locks to wired AD-300 configurations so they no longer have to manage battery changes.
The value proposition is really about total cost of ownership rather than just the initial purchase price. It's something institutions should consider, and it's a philosophy we plan to continue incorporating into future lock platforms and products.
If you're interested in learning more about DESFire custom keys, electronic lock adaptability, or mobile wallet credentials, you can reach out to me at Jeffrey dot Koziol at Allegion.com or connect with me on LinkedIn.
Faced with thousands of incoming students and a growing volume of conference credentials, the University of Michigan found itself relying on a surprisingly manual process. Its legacy card production software lacked print queue functionality, requiring staff to repeatedly initiate print jobs throughout the day. To keep up, the institution hired temporary workers each summer, but the process was inefficient, error-prone, and led to duplicate card production.
In this episode of CampusIDNews Chats, we spoke with Paul Bower, Program Manager for the Mcard at the University of Michigan. He describes how his team worked with the university’s automation and robotics department to build a software-based workflow that eliminated 40+ hours per week of manual labor while improving efficiency and accuracy.
Card printing became more consistent, reporting improved, and staff no longer needed to spend their days monitoring repetitive print jobs.
Rather than waiting years for a software replacement through the RFP process, the team partnered with the campus robotics process automation group to create a Power Automate workflow that mimicked the actions of a human operator. The automation enters student records, initiates card production, waits for printing to finish, and then moves on to the next card.
The project required only about 40 combined hours of development and administrative effort but produced significant operational benefits. Card printing became more consistent, reporting improved, and staff no longer needed to spend their days monitoring repetitive print jobs. Instead, temporary workers were reassigned to orientation support and student-facing activities.
Today, orientation card lists are uploaded into a designated Excel spreadsheet. Power Automate opens the spreadsheet, launches the card production software, and processes each record.
Today, the workflow processes orientation card lists automatically while staff oversee exceptions and printer issues. The university has since expanded automation efforts into other areas, including conference attendee processing and database validation.
Bower says the key takeaway is that institutions do not need to wait for major system replacements to improve operations. By identifying simple, repetitive tasks and leveraging tools already available through platforms like Microsoft 365, campuses can reduce manual work, improve accuracy, and create more time for higher-value initiatives.
To listen to the full interview, click the image at the top of this page.
TRANSCRIPT:
A recurring challenge at the University of Michigan was managing the annual influx of conference cards while simultaneously preparing for thousands of incoming undergraduate and graduate students. The problem stemmed from legacy card production software that lacked a print queue. Staff had to manually click “print” every time a card finished processing.
To keep up with demand, the office hired four temporary workers each summer whose primary responsibility was repeatedly initiating print jobs. This created inefficiencies, wasted labor, and increased the likelihood of duplicate card production when multiple people worked from the same print lists.
The team's first thought was to replace the card production software, but the RFP process would take months, if not years. Instead, they looked for a short-term solution that could reduce the burden while a long-term replacement was pursued.
Working with the university's robotics process automation team, they developed a Power Automate workflow that replicated the manual printing process. The attended bot enters a person's unique ID, pulls up their record, initiates card production, waits for the process to complete, and then repeats the cycle automatically.
The automation project required approximately 30 hours of development time from the robotics team and about 10 hours from the card office staff.
The automation project required approximately 30 hours of development time from the RPA team and about 10 hours from the card office staff. After testing, the workflow eliminated the need for employees to manually monitor card printing throughout the day.
The automation also improved reporting and tracking.
The bot logs printed cards, records statuses, and flags exceptions that require manual review. Rather than assigning staff to repetitive printing tasks, the university redirected those workers toward orientation support and student engagement activities.
Today, orientation card lists are uploaded into a designated Excel spreadsheet. Power Automate opens the spreadsheet, launches the card production software, processes each record, and updates the spreadsheet with print results and status information. Staff primarily monitor the printers for jams or exceptions while focusing on other projects.
For institutions interested in automation, the recommendation is to start small. Many campuses already have access to tools such as Microsoft Power Automate through existing Microsoft 365 licenses. Even without a dedicated automation team, institutions can begin by identifying simple, repetitive tasks that consume time and resources.
The University of Michigan has since expanded automation efforts beyond card printing, including automating portions of conference attendee processing and database validation. The lesson learned is that once organizations begin exploring automation, they often uncover many additional opportunities to improve efficiency and redirect staff toward higher-value work.
