Higher education and campus technology solutions provider, CBORD, has announced that Vanderbilt University is the first CBORD campus to launch mobile credentials on Android devices. Beginning this January, Vanderbilt students, faculty, and staff are now able to add a securely-issued Commodore Card to an Android smartphone to conveniently, safely, and securely access campus buildings, purchase meals, and more.

Vanderbilt began its push to go contactless last year with the release of its Commodore Card in Apple Wallet. CBORD's expansion of mobile credential support to Android enables students, faculty and staff on participating campuses to use their Android device to conveniently, safely and securely access campus buildings, purchase meals and more.

"After the incredibly successful launch last semester of mobile credentials for our iPhone and Apple Watch users, we knew we needed a solution for our Android users," says Mark Brown, director of business services technology at Vanderbilt. "We are excited to now offer Android users this convenience and security as they go about the Vanderbilt campus with their smartphone.”

Brown will join fellow Vanderbilt Card Services colleague Amy Surprenant to lead a free webinar on January 27 at 2:00 p.m. ET and discuss the university's launch of Apple and Android mobile credentials. The webinar will offer attendees insight into the planning, implementation, and release processes, as well as an update on how students are reacting to the new contactless campus card.

Not knowing what was to come in 2020, the idea of safe, secure, contactless credentials began to pique the interest of Vanderbilt University. After the arrival of COVID, it became paramount that a contact-free solution be put in place to ensure a safe reopening for fall 2020.

“Since we launched mobile credentials in 2019 with iPhone and Apple Watch, students and schools have loved the contactless technology for its convenience and security,” says Jim Hoefflin, CBORD president. “In light of COVID-19, the desire for contactless technology across campus is driven by a new level of urgency to reduce the passing of physical cards. The support of Android mobile credentials further extends the contactless experience across the student population.”

Attendees of CBORD's free webinar will learn how Vanderbilt University implemented mobile credentials after just a three-month process, how the university rolled out student IDs in Apple Wallet in September 2020, and how Vanderbilt became the first CBORD campus to launch Android mobile credentials this January.

Joining Vanderbilt's Brown and Surprenant will be Read Winkelman, vice president of sales at CBORD, to discuss the release of Android mobile credentials. The webinar will also feature a live Q&A with CBORD development team members Steve Swingler and Mbagnick Thiam.

Mobile credential technology enables universities to provide a secure campus-issued credential that can be remotely and instantly issued, revoked and reactivated within the CBORD ID card software. This helps institutions prevent fraud while offering convenience and safer, healthier transactions. CBORD has extended these capabilities to Android phones by engaging its partner ecosystem – including Google, Allegion, NXP Semiconductors and HID Global – to deliver the Android solution.

Mobile credentials can be used anywhere a plastic ID card is used, both on and off campus. Once provisioned, users simply present their device to an NFC-enabled reader to pay for food, vending or laundry, or open exterior and interior doors to campus buildings and residence halls.

CBORD is the only provider to allow universities to leverage open APIs to provision mobile credentials through a university’s own mobile application, rather than requiring students, faculty and staff to download a separate app. Campuses also have the flexibility to provision contactless mobile IDs through CBORD’s GET app.

To learn more about launching mobile credentials, visit cbord.com/gocontactless.