Blackboard Transact, along with NXP and Liberty University, is hosting a webinar on NFC credentials to show how the technology is transforming life on campus. NXP’s Gary Gill will be on hand to provide valuable info about NFC technology and Liberty’s director of card services, Deborah Nightingale will talk about the university’s recent switch to contactless, NFC-compatible campus cards.

School children in the Spanish city of Barcelona are being issued smart cards as part of a new project that will help parents to monitor their children’s commute to school. The project is the result of a partnership between Spanish startup Aditium, the city’s transit authority, mobile network operator Telefonica and others.

Students in Nigeria are being issued smart cards as part of a new exam registration and authorization system. The project, which is being led by HID and The West African Examinations Council, is seeking to cut back on cases of identity fraud associated with exams by introducing a more secure process to student verification.

Lehigh University has decided to deploy MIFARE smart cards to all students faculty and staff as part of a larger effort to boost security on campus. As part of the project, the Lehigh is also installing Allegion aptiQ readers. The cards are already being distributed, while the larger access control system will be phased in over time.

With the EMV liability shift looming, college campuses are having to come to grips with EMV. Nothing new to the rest of the world, EMV has yet to take root in the US, but that’s all about to change. The shift will affect the higher education space and general commerce alike, so with this in mind, here’s what universities need to know about EMV.

Algonquin College has signed on with U-Pass to provide smart card transit cards to its students, joining a host of other Canadian universities using U-Pass. Algonquin students will have access to discounted transit, and in response to the university’s high summer enrollment, a full-service summer pass will also be made available.

Zwipe and HID Global have partnered to deliver an integrated biometric smart card. The new credential features a fingerprint scanner housed within the card, and could offer a solution to the growing need to secure transactions, as well as access to networks, doors and facilities.

The move to smart cards is growing in popularity on universities nationwide, and while the decision to change credentials alone can be worrisome, executing the transition can be downright daunting. ASSA ABLOY’s Angelo Faenza discusses the jump to smart cards, why universities should consider the move and the first steps in making the transition.

A small women’s college located in South Hadley, Mass., Mount Holyoke, opted to go in a new direction with its access control system installing wireless locksets throughout the 800-acre campus. Mount Holyoke’s Department of Auxiliary Services decided that wireless access control was the perfect fit for its 41 total buildings, 20 residential and 21 administrative. […]