QI Systems, a developer and marketer of contact and contactless chip-based card payment and tracking solutions, has joined with campus card provider SmartCentric Technologies, to provide universities with more opportunities for expanded use of the SmartCity smart cards for on-campus and off-campus use. The agreement will also allow for remote data collection and hot-listing of lost or stolen cards. 

Card systems at colleges and universities have typically centered around on-campus commerce and access. But today, they are extending their reach off-campus and opening their on-campus services to more commerce-savvy students, faculty, and staff. Credit card use has continually increased on college and university campuses, specifically in conjunction with their transaction systems. The companies provisioning campus card program technologies, as well as the universities, find themselves facing greater responsibilities and, more importantly, liabilities. 

Thanks to a contactless LEGIC all-in-one-card, students and faculty at a Switzerland college can buy food in the canteens or from seven on-campus vending machines, and obtain copying and printing services. Students also can use their personal contactless ID card to open their lockers, which they use to store their laptops and other valuable equipment. 

A six-college consortium, known as the Colleges of the Fenway, and CardSmith have launched a single student ID card that will be acceptable at each of the campuses. The new digital image cards will be used for swipe access to services and cashless payments at campus bookstores, food service locations, self-service vending, and other points of sale and service. The colleges will also use the card as the key to building and facility access. 

If you’re looking for a simple way to keep track of visitors to your facility, a San Diego, Calif. company may have the answer. Visitors can swipe any state issued drivers license through the reader, and their information is captured instantly in the VisitorBook ID-e Software. No additional data input is necessary. The security desk operator takes a photo and in less than 30 seconds can produce a visitor badge. 

By Andy Williams, Contributing Editor

As the one-year anniversary of The CBORD Group’s acquisition of Diebold’s card systems division approaches, the Ithaca, NY-based company spans the range of colleges and universities – small, medium and now large campuses.

To Bruce Lane, CBORD’s executive vice president, the acquisition was a perfect fit with CBORD’s strategic direction. “Finally the stars aligned to make this happen,” explains Mr. Lane. “I’d been staying in contact with my competitors at Diebold for many years and I kept after them on it.” 

Matthew Daly, who helped DHL Express improve its performance and efficiency, has joined campus card solutions provider General Meters Corp. as vice president, operations. He will work in the company’s Colorado Springs, Colo. headquarters helping the company to continue to deliver products ahead of schedule and overseeing other critical operational areas.