Heartland Campus Solutions recently hosted its 2014 OneCard User Group Conference in Clearwater, FL to honor Heartland clients who displayed card system excellence and innovation.

In addition to the Annual Client Awards ceremony, which recognizes individuals and campuses that have contributed to the advancement of the Campus OneCard System and Heartland Campus Solutions, the conference provides an environment for university administrators to interact with one another and with Heartland directly.

In a blog post on the company’s website, vice president of sales Fred Emery recalls past User Group conferences and the benefits of attending the event. A former card system user himself, Emery hails the opportunity to discover new and upcoming products, as well as the ability to speak with other campus administrators about their operations and practices.

As Emery explains, the OneCard User Group Conference gives the company an opportunity to meet with universities and colleges, to hear their ideas and receive feedback about Heartland solutions.

The John Cunningham Award recognizes an individual for their contribution toward improving the Campus OneCard System. The award is a memorial to one of Heartland’s long-standing clients, Mr. John Cunningham from the University of Waterloo, who passed away unexpectedly in 2012. The award for 2014 was presented to Tom Watkins, Director of EmoryCard Technology Services at Emory University.

Watkins has provided regular feedback and ideas to improve OneCard, many of which have become standard features our clients use on an everyday basis. Watkins also played a large role in the development of OneCard CheckIN, a mobile application used to track attendance and privilege verification.

Emory University needed an application for tracking doctors and medical students on their Grand Rounds at the hospital, but wanted a self-serve method that used a mobile application. Watkins assisted Heartland with the design and beta testing of CheckIN.

The Kathi Kaminski Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the enhancement of Heartland and the campus card industry as a whole. The award is named after Kathi Kaminski of St. Norbert College, a past campus card administrator who lost her battle with cancer in 2006.

The 2014 award was presented to Mohawk College who has exemplified Heartland’s principles of partnership this past year. As Emery explains, Mohawk has consistently volunteered to beta test new offerings, work to find new integrated solutions to other campus systems, and improve awareness about the benefits of campus card technology to other institutions.

The 2015 Heartland Annual OneCard User Group Conference will be held in Chattanooga, TN in November 2015.