The Province of British Columbia, the University of British Columbia and the Alma Mater Society have negotiated a plan to prevent students from dropping out of courses but still keeping their subsidized U-Pass, according to The Ubyssey.

In the past students received their U-Pass twice a term, but under the new agreement students will get their pass on a month-to-month basis, and the university will be held responsible for retrieving any unreturned passes. 

As technology continues to advance in the security industry, the nature of credentials and ID technologies in higher education and government facilities is rapidly changing.

We’re seeing a number of different trends, including the enforcement of FIPS 201 and PIV requirements for government agencies, migration from low security to higher security on college and university campuses, and growth of near field communications technology. 

Missouri State University in Springfield is rolling out its new Bear Pass, a student ID card that also provides door access and debit card functionality. The purpose behind the new card is to make the campus safer while keeping a student’s information secure, according to school officials.

“Thirteen years ago, we put in our existing system. In terms of technology, that’s about three generations back,” said Kent Thomas, assistant to the MSU president. 

Students at Park Hills, Mo.-based Mineral Area College will be receiving their financial aid refunds faster this year through a prepaid card issued by Central National Bank in Oklahoma.

Sponsored by Heartland Payment Systems, the nation’s fifth largest payments processor, students will now receive a prepaid card instead of a check as has been done in the past. The college will load financial aid refunds to a personalized Discover debit card, giving students a more flexible financial tool to access their refund. 

Campus card provider NuVision Networks, Napa, Calif., has named Brian Adoff as the company’s new executive vice president.

Adoff, formerly NuVision’s national sales manager, will now oversee company-wide operations and develop strategic partnerships. 

Cheshire Integrated Transport Services teamed up with Applied Card Technologies (ACT) and sQuid to expand a UK smart card offering to the West Cheshire College and Chester College campuses.

According to thepaypers.com, the card combines cashless transactions, pay-as-you-go Cheshire Travelcard ITSO ticketing, ID card and retail and leisure discounts through Cheshire’s loyalty scheme. Students can view their accounts and maintain their balance online. 

2012 will be a year for re-examining our definition of a card office. As credentials expand from cards to phones, increased adoption of mobile features and near field communications will change the way we think of credential management on college campuses and beyond.

Already, campus identity and access system providers are making it easy to leverage omnipresent smart phone technology for the credential part of such solutions. Popular mobile applications are springing up on college campuses everywhere.