Episode 703: Empowering a Safe and Secure Experience with OneCard

As higher ed institutions take steps towards innovation, strategy and technology need to be developed together. On this episode of FOCUS, Heather Fraser of Dalhousie University (Dal) discusses the strategic approach the institution is taking to manage campuswide digital transformation. Fraser, the Director of Enterprise Application Services at Dalhousie, is responsible for managing recent efforts to innovate the institution’s enterprise portfolio. Listen to learn about the importance of ownership of technology and key strategic insights as you bring your institution forward in the digital space. Approach to managing enterprise-level systems Dalhousie is a long-time user of TouchNet solutions such as OneCard, Payment Center, and more as their digital transformation has evolved. The university also uses Ellucian’s Banner as their ERP (enterprise resource planning) system. A recent merger of digital teams brought the management of enterprise applications including OneCard and Banner into one office. The portfolio also includes cloud service technologies management, project management, systems architecture, infrastructure and databases, program development, business intelligence reporting, and the university’s web presence. Deciding who “owns” the technology The restructuring of Fraser’s department presented the opportunity to review how the university as a whole approaches enterprise applications. The DalCard, Dalhousie’s OneCard system, has historically been owned by the IT department because of the need for technical support resources. However, the team is looking at shifting how they manage the DalCard. The idea is to shift the decision-making process to better accommodate needs from the business units that use the technology. Using a similar governance to how they already manage Banner, IT partners with all the different functional areas across campus that run the business processes of the technology. So offices such as student affairs and ancillary services would be the front-line support for the end users (students) with the IT team being backend support for those teams. Driving forces behind moving to the cloud Fraser’s team is looking at a 2-3 year plan to relocate their data center off campus for a variety of reasons. In doing so, they are using this as an opportunity to reevaluate which technologies are hosted on premise versus moving technologies to the cloud, which can help mitigate the risks of on-campus data storage, add flexibility, and lay a foundation for additional technology improvements. Additionally, a lot of Dalhousie’s technology partners are making greater investments in their software-as-a-service (SaaS) or in other cloud offerings that are overshadowing what is happening in on-premise solutions. In order to keep up with student expectations, a move to the cloud is an integral part of Dalhousie’s strategy. Dalhousie University’s Strategic Plan and Digital Strategy Fraser explained that none of this could be done without a unified vision for the university. Dalhousie is currently working through a five year strategic plan that includes an accompanying digital strategy led by the university’s Chief Information Officer and Dean of Libraries. The Digital Strategy has been a driving force behind the decisions they are making from a digital space perspective, which encompasses both technology and people. The document focuses on five key pillars which outlines leadership’s commitment to making Dalhousie a state-of-the-art digital learning campus with an extreme focus on research: Teaching and Learning, People-centric, Research and Innovation, Community Collaborations, and Digital Foundations. “There is a lot of human focus in this strategic document that you normally may not associate with something that is a digital or technology plan,” said Fraser. “But really it’s a way to look across our entire institution at how we’re going to be able to meet the needs of today’s digital learners and digital teachers.” Advice for Leading Digital Transformation It’s important to remember that Dalhousie University’s commitment to strategy and leveraging technology-based decisions didn’t happen overnight. It is an ongoing initiative in which they pull together key stakeholders at various times to get buy-in on new directions. This helps cross-campus teams feel ownership of decisions and understand the work that is needed to make transformation happen. Fraser credits the progress to the trust within her team and the others worked with. Her biggest piece of wisdom to impart on other institutions looking to create change in the face of digital transformations is to not only trust your team, but also work to anticipate the future technology needs of students, faculty, and staff and start the work now. Under a unified team and strategy, shaping the digital landscape of higher ed institutions becomes an exciting exercise of “what if.” Special Guest: Heather Fraser.

Higher ed institutions are constantly innovating to fit the changing needs of students to support their success. Kevin Smith, Assistant Vice President and Director of Student Records and Financial Services at Canisius University, joins FOCUS to share how the university’s experience in evolving the one-stop shop with a new solution from TouchNet, Student Account Advisor. Smith offers insights on how Student Account Advisor provides a comprehensive view of a student’s financial engagement while protecting sensitive information, how Canisius has applied the solution, and his plans for campus-wide expansion. About Canisius University Canisius University is a liberal arts institution outside of Buffalo, New York. The university is aJesuit institution that serves 2,700 students across undergraduate and graduate programs. Canisius is a long-time TouchNet partnerand has been live since 2001 when they initially implemented credit card payments in the payment gateway. Over the years, the university has added many solutions including Cashiering, the Bill+Payment suite, Payment Plans, Marketplace for ecommerce, and ACH validation with the help of TouchNet. Most recently, Canisius added TouchNet’s newest solution, Student Account Advisor into the fold and has already seen tremendous results. What is Student Account Advisor? When Canisius’ Student Records and Financial Services Center converted to a one-stop shop, the last piece to provide a more efficient experience was the addition of Student Account Advisor. TouchNet’s Student Account Advisor (https://www.touchnet.com/student-finance/student-account-advisor) is an integrated solution that provides a centralized oversight and advanced customer service to students who have questions or need personal assistance with their accounts. The solution pulls data from student information software (SIS) systems into one screen for easy navigation, without displaying any sensitive information. The unified dashboard of student information eliminates the need to sign into multiple systems, giving advisors more time to help students and enhancing the student experience in financial offices. Authorization can be customized to give certain advisors and offices more access than others to mitigate privacy concerns. The built-in communication function allows advisors to reach out directly to students in need, or to follow up on their questions. Simplifying advising students Since implementing Student Account Advisor, Canisius University has seen great improvements in staff efficiency. Student Account Advisor is primarily utilized in the Student Records and Financial Services Center, but has also been rolled out to the Griff Center (their office for advising, tutoring, mentoring, career success, and coaching), and the university’s co-op graduate programs. Plans for further expansion include other high-contact offices, such as deans and academic advising, that students engage with. Smith finds that the solution has overall eased complications in student transactions in his office and other on-campus applications for staff. “It simplified the transaction. It created a true one-stop shop experience that enabled the users to assist students and parents when discussing financial aid, student accounts, and academic data points that are crucial in a student's success,” said Smith. In addition to these simplified transactions, Canisius University has experienced higher student retention rates since Student Account Advisor’s addition to the one-stop shop. Smith credits this to the centralized information dashboard, giving advisors a more holistic view of a student’s situation and more opportunity for a more personalized student experience. Set your institution up for success Although Canisius’ transformation with Student Account Advisor didn’t happen overnight, Smith and other management at the university learned to ask the right questions to maximize the solution. One of the most important parts of figuring out the right plan for implementation is to identify those high-engagement offices that deal with students regularly and decide if the solution would simplify processes. As Smith outlines, another key step in the process is properly training staff on how to use the software in the most efficient way possible. Finally, keep in mind the idea of helping the whole student, not just with finances. This will open up opportunities for Student Account Advisor expansion, improving the student experience along the way. To learn more about Student Account Advisor, schedule a demo with a TouchNet Solutions Consultant. (https://www.touchnet.com/about-us/contact-us) Special Guest: Kevin Smith.

Many higher education administrators are called to their positions for the same reason: to help students succeed. Lisa Mazure, Associate Vice Chancellor for Finance and Fiscal Services at Alamo Colleges District, joins this episode of FOCUS to share her experiences with supporting students while keeping accounts receivable and revenue flow healthy. Listen to hear her journey of improving account services at different institutions, leading to an increase in student success and financial literacy. Lansing Community College Mazure joined Lansing Community College as the institution’s Controller after 25 years working for the government in the Office of the Auditor General. One of the first things she noticed in her role at Lansing was the disjointed experience for students interacting with the Student Finance Office for payments and refunds. Students were forced to log into multiple systems to manage different functions. From that point, she sought to consolidate the system down to one unified platform to make it easier for students. In her search for solutions, the benefits of TouchNet became clear. The college already used TouchNet for accepting online payments, but learned it could be expanded to also offer payment plans, refunds, and much more all through a single solution. This allowed LCC to reduce the number of systems that staff had to be trained on, improve the student and staff experience by managing everything in one place, and provide streamlined reporting and updated student accounts. Payment plans Once Mazure’s mission to simplify student finances was complete, she turned her attention to creating payment plans that accelerated student success. “My goal is always for my students to be able to balance that financial responsibility with their academic success,” said Mazure. One of the first plans the college implemented was bi-weekly payment plans, which remains popular with students because it spreads payments out in a way that matches up with paychecks rather than one lump sum each month. Lansing also added specialized payment plans for past-due balances. Each plan is specific to a student’s account balance and the repayment agreement they have with the institution. Students on this plan have the opportunity to have their balances forgiven if they complete a certain number of credit hours and meet other Student Finance Office requirements. Students on financial aid that didn’t cover their full balance were given a payment plan that started later in the semester, after their financial aid was fully rewarded. This made it easier on students to pay correct balances after the add/drop course period concluded. Veterans, students in the Adult Resource Center, those with childcare scholarships, and other special cases were also given additional payment plan options. Adding plans for these unique situations gave students more financial freedom, helping them be more successful on campus. Alamo Colleges District The Alamo Colleges District is a system of five independently accredited colleges with over 69,000 students across Bexar County in southern Texas. The district is home to an HBCU and all five are Hispanic serving institutions. Since Mazure joined the district, the system has been dealing with a large accounts receivable balance stemming from conditions during the pandemic, in which the colleges avoided putting holds on student accounts. She and her team are actively exploring solutions for reengaging students with past due balances and starting the process of placing holds again. It is important for Mazure and the system to find the balance between financial responsibility and academic achievement. Like Lansing Community College, the Alamo Colleges District uses TouchNet solutions for student finance needs, but has not used the tools to their full potential. Mazure has been working to incorporate as many TouchNet solutions as possible to create immediate changes to help students. Balancing accounts receivable The first change the district implemented was separating out past-due balances from current payment plans, so the financial office could work with students to address each balance on its own. Before then, payments made to current statements were automatically applied to past-due balances, making it difficult for students to stay up-to-date on current charges. Mazure’s approach is that students should have the opportunity to take care of past due balances independent of payment plans for current terms. The Alamo Colleges District has now expanded their payment plan options to give students more flexibility to choose a plan that is right for them, leading to increases in payment plan enrollments and healthier accounts receivable balances while helping students meet their goals. To further address outstanding past-due balances, the district has classified them into different buckets. Depending on how old the balance is, it might be forgiven. In other instances, students may be directly contacted with the option to enroll in a specialized repayment plan like mentioned before. The hope is that fewer students will be affected when the District decides to reimplement holds since they will have had the opportunity to resolve past due balances. These efforts tie back to the district’s goal of eliminating poverty through education and have an overall positive effect on students and their finances. Maximize change at your institution Getting the most out of your enterprise-level solutions doesn’t have to be as daunting as it may seem. For Mazure, getting buy-in from staff and other leadership at Alamo Colleges District early in the process made all the difference. They have been able to work together to establish what the institution calls WIGs (wild improvement goals) to stay on strategy as they move forward. The IT department has also been integral in the process because they know the most about the existing TouchNet system and what was possible. As far as communicating with students about upcoming changes, payment plans, overall student financial literacy, and the Business Office’s role in their success, the district has incorporated student financial services into the orientation process. This sets a foundation with students from the moment they step foot on campus that the student finance office is there to help. This coaches students that they have a stake in their education, not just on the academic side, but also when it comes to finances. Keeping all this in mind helps the student finance office move towards the final goal: helping students succeed financially, so they can succeed academically. Special Guest: Lisa Mazure.

As higher ed institutions continue to evolve to offer more cashless payment solutions, automated clearing house (ACH) payments are becoming more popular. This week, Brad Smith, senior director of industry engagement and advocacy at Nacha, joins FOCUS to discuss the benefits of ACH payments for campus transactions. Learn more about ACH payments on campus, Nacha, and efforts to update the ACH rules for better risk management in the network. What are ACH payments? ACH payments are direct transactions involving a bank account. Most online payments attached to a bank account number are ACH, which allows transactions to be reflected to the account in near real-time. ACH payments are popular with different merchants because of the lower fees compared to other payment methods, reliability, and security. “If you get paid by direct deposit, you know what the ACH network is,” said Smith. In 2022, 30 billion transactions were made through the ACH network totalling $76.7 trillion. Business-to-business payments through same-day ACH saw a 44% growth in 2022, and in the first quarter of 2023 alone, same-day ACH transactions grew by 94% compared to first quarter of 2022. Institution implementation As Smith explains, ACH is most practical when used for large payments. ACH may not make sense for smaller purchases like at campus stores, sporting events, or dining halls. However, opportunities exist for ACH to be used for tuition payments, payroll, and business-to-business payments for accounts receivable and accounts payable. Nacha’s role in ACH payments Nacha owns and manages rules for the ACH network. Merchants, also known as ACH originators, enter an originator agreement with their bank, credit union, or third party processor, like TouchNet, to follow a specific set of standards to comply with. New rules are highlighted on the Nacha website (https://www.nacha.org/). For institutions implementing more ACH payment options on campus, Nacha is also working on a suite of tools to help educate students, parents, and vendors on why ACH is a good option. Avoiding fraud According to Smith, risks for fraud in regards to ACH do not vary greatly from other payment methods. The trend now is vendor impersonation. For example, a bad actor will call a staff member acting like a vendor who needs to change banking information. Next thing you know, payments are going to the bad actor instead of the actual vendor. To help, Nacha provides a risk framework for partners that helps merchants address fraud. The first part of the framework are strict rules to set a solid anti-fraud foundation, which now includes a provision to validate transactions without needing to give out routing and account numbers. The second part is the operating guidelines that show merchants how to apply the rules to their processes. Nacha recently rolled out new supplemental data security requirements (https://www.touchnet.com/trends/blog/2021/02/09/nacha-ach-updates-that-will-affect-higher-education-payment-processes) to ensure data is secure while it’s at rest. This means that account information is unreadable, deleted, or masked properly any time ACH data is not being used. Third party vendors also held to the same standards as ACH originators to keep security a priority. Best practices As previously stated, the best opportunities for institutions to use ACH to reduce costs and increase efficiencies are for tuition, payroll, and business to business with vendors. Smith believes one of the ways to stay vigilant against fraud is to continue education on the latest trends. This can be managed with an institution’s relationship with their bank or processor and completing regular training to stay up-to-date on compliance and fraud trends. There are also different organizations that offer training to colleges and universities on the latest ACH rules, risk courses, and audit courses. Learn more about ACH rules and alleviating risk at www.nacha.org/rules/new (https://www.nacha.org/newrules). Special Guest: Brad Smith.

On this episode of FOCUS, Doug Vanderpoel joins from Mount Holyoke College to share insights into how his institution uses the TouchNet OneCard Campus ID (https://www.touchnet.com/id-management/onecard-campus-id) system to enhance the campus experience. From student ID management to ensuring campus safety and smart data monitoring, Mount Holyoke College has developed numerous unique and innovative uses for their OneCard system. Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College, the oldest women’s college in the U.S., was established in 1837 in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It is home to over 2,000 students and 80 major buildings across the campus’ 800 acres. The college is a longtime TouchNet client, having implemented nearly every solution offered in the past 25 years. Most notable is the OneCard system, which Mount Holyoke has tailored to meet a wide range of needs. An Integrated Campus ID Program OneCard simplifies the student experience on campus. Students at Mount Holyoke use OneCard for their student ID, access to dorms and other campus buildings, meal plan swipes in the dining hall, tickets to events, vending, tracking packages, and even for POS transactions. After the school got the initial functions of OneCard up and running, they sought more ways to integrate it into campus life. Most recently, they’ve partnered with USEFULL (https://partners.touchnet.com/english/directory/partner/1512100/usefull-us), a TouchNet Ready Partner, to provide reusable takeout containers in the dining hall, which are monitored and paid for through OneCard. The campus also has 24/7 coffee machines that are integrated with OneCard, so students can use their ID for payment. Faculty can even use their IDs to activate the institution’s gas and fuel stations to fill up the institution’s fleet vehicles. Integrated safety measures The safety of students is paramount to Mount Holyoke College, as is evident in the measures they take to monitor access to dorms and buildings with OneCard. Mount Holyoke uses the system to grant or deny access to specific areas of the campus at any given time based on predetermined criteria, and on case-by-case situations if needed. When the school hosts conferences, attendees are given limited access with a visitor ID through OneCard for entry to the dining hall, presentation areas, and on-campus lodging accommodations for the duration of the conference. Mount Holyoke has also connected various sensors with the Master Security Monitor feature of OneCard to detect irregularities at sensitive places on campus. The system alerts campus staff when emergency showers and eyewash stations are used in labs, sensors are tripped in the art museum, and even when there is unexpected motion around the on-campus horse stables. Additionally, Mount Holyoke has connected panic buttons to the system as well for students and faculty to contact public safety in the case of emergencies. These panic buttons are also placed across campus in areas like the HR department, cash POS locations, practice rooms in the music department and more. If a button is pressed, public safety is notified immediately to respond to the location. OneCard as a data source The OneCard system is constantly gathering data, which Mount Holyoke decided to put to work in making informed decisions. It has given valuable insights into student behavior surrounding meal plans, dining hours, and dormitory capacity. The integration of the system with POS systems also aids in tracking popular food items, easing the product ordering process. Additionally, the ability to generate reports on dormitory usage and visitor patterns helps optimize campus resources. The key to implementation Having the right partner can make all the difference when setting up a system like OneCard. Listening to your teams and being communicative is one of the easiest ways to gain faculty and student adoption. “Just build good relationships and listen to people's issues and problems and know your system and understand that you can have an effect on that,” said Vanderpoel. As Mount Holyoke stands to prove, OneCard can be used in countless ways across campus. With the right approach and the right team, your institution can unlock the full potential of technology to enhance the overall student experience. Special Guest: Doug Vanderpoel.

Guiding international students through account payments can be tricky. With currency exchange rates constantly changing, it can be difficult for students to be confident that they are paying the correct amount. On this episode of FOCUS, Mike Pilman, System Administrator for the Account Receivables Office at Tulane University, joins us to give insight on how Tulane works with TouchNet and TransferMate to simplify payments for international students while improving administrative processes for their staff and protecting the institution against fraud. Tulane University Tulane University was founded in 1834 in New Orleans as the Medical College of Louisiana. Today, the university is a private research institution with 14,500 students across ten undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools. Ten percent of the school’s population are international, coming from 90 countries. Pilman says that the institution is looking to expand its international population, particularly in graduate degree programs. Issues with cross-border payments With so many international students from so many different countries, the common issues with international payments added up for Tulane. . Students are not only unfamiliar with U.S. banking systems, but also with calculating currency exchange rates with ever changing market rates. This led to incorrect payment amounts, delayed payments, and payments with no student account information included. The combination of issues left a lot of work for accounts receivables to manually fix. Tulane needed a solution to automate their processes and found it in TransferMate. TransferMate Tulane first began working with TransferMate 11 years ago to support cross-border payments which helped tremendously with backend reconciliation. But it wasn’t until they transitioned to using the integration between TransferMate and TouchNet that they saw the biggest change. Through this integration, students are able to initiate payments with TransferMate directly in their Student Account Center. The embedded solution includes a currency exchange calculator that converts the student’s payment amount from US dollars to the equivalent in their local currency. The student completes the details of the transaction within their account and then pays TransferMate according to instructions provided. TransferMate then handles all the details of the currency exchange, cash clearing, and the transmission of payment directly to Tulane. Students are able to access their account at any time to check the status of their payment and TransferMate offers 24/7 customer service. Campus adoption Using TransferMate is now the preferred payment option for international students at Tulane. The embedded solution is easily adopted by students, which Pilman attributes to the integration with TouchNet Payment Center. “Having it [TransferMate] embedded in the billing and payments portal, that really was the biggest factor,” says Pilman. Tulane also provides general advice on TransferMate on their payment options webpage, which is listed on the Student Accounts Receivable and Office of International Students websites. They also talk to students about it during orientation to make sure every international student knows about it. Helping more than just students Aside from international students, TransferMate alleviated many stressors for the accounts receivable staff. Before, staff had to manually alter accounts with any issues. Now, problems with balances and reconciliation are automatically updated with TransferMate, giving staff more time to focus on student needs. With TransferMate, the need for students to use bank wires has decreased significantly, which has strengthened Tulane’s cybersecurity.. Previously, the institution had their bank wire information on their website for international students to use, leaving Tulane open to bad actors. They still offer wire transfers to students, but only need to give out their bank wire information upon request. Simplifying international payments In parting advice, Pilman recounts the benefit of going to higher education conferences and learning from other institutions who can serve as a model for your school. He believes that a more universal approach focused on making the payment process as easy as possible for students and payers is the first step in creating new paths for payments. Special Guest: Mike Pilman.

On this episode of FOCUS, Kristy Pritchett, Director of Student Account Services at the University of Alabama, joined us to discuss how a student-friendly approach to past-due accounts lead to higher retention rates. The university created their approach out of a need to give additional support to students that were facing financial hardship. Through an integration with TouchNet, the University of Alabama partnered with ECSI RecoverySelect to focus on accounts receivable and past-due accounts, which led to an increase in their retention rates. Read more as Pritchett shares how the institution successfully transformed itself into a model university for the student-friendly approach. The University of Alabama Founded in 1831, the University of Alabama is a renowned research institution located in Tuscaloosa. The campus is the academic home to more than 38,000 students and on track to continue to increase enrollment. Although the institution is now seeing positive growth trends, student debt and past-due accounts poses a threat to retention. Pritchett and her team knew that helping students stay enrolled was key to securing the institution’s finances. Finding a solution with ECSI’s RecoverySelect Like many other institutions seeking a solution to address past-due accounts and student debt, the University of Alabama wanted to maintain a student-centric approach. “We're really trying to provide a benefit and help that student work through whatever is going on, so that they can get it paid off and continue their education with the university,” says Pritchett. Rather than punishing students for falling behind on payments with collection agencies and academic holds, the university wanted to help them be in control of their student finances. Enter ECSI's RecoverySelect — a comprehensive solution designed to manage past-due accounts with compassionate customer service. Key benefits of RecoverySelect Streamlined and standardized processes Previously, the University of Alabama struggled with monitoring and collecting past-due accounts. Repayment counselors used in excess of 100 letter templates, leading to inconsistencies and a lack of standards in communication. RecoverySelect streamlined these processes, using just five Regulation F compliant letters and phone calls to keep clear and consistent communication with students. Student accounts are managed by ECSI for 120 days before being sent to collections. Integration and compliance The University of Alabama was already a TouchNet and Ellucian Banner client, simplifying the ECSI integration and enabling the university to stay compliant with ever-changing payment regulations. Data flows seamlessly between systems, providing the most up-to-date information to collection agencies and helping the institution avoid regulatory pitfalls. Staff efficiency The implementation of RecoverySelect reduced the burden of repetitive and time-consuming tasks, such as sending letters and making phone calls, on the university's staff. This allowed the University of Alabama to repurpose staff members for other essential roles, like providing more personalized student support and ensuring optimal resource utilization. Improved reporting RecoverySelect provides detailed reporting, including a collection agency scorecard. This level of transparency allows the university to measure the effectiveness of their efforts and provide insight into what's working and what needs adjustment. And if tactics need to shift. Positive student feedback One of the University of Alabama’s priorities was maintaining a positive student experience throughout the debt recovery process. ECSI sends emails to students before their accounts transfer to RecoverySelect, explaining the situation and emphasizing that they aim to help, not punish, students. This has resulted in positive feedback across campus and renewed trust between the institution and its students. Student-centered results The University of Alabama has achieved remarkable results with ECSI's RecoverySelect solution. They've seen an approximately 40% resolution rate for accounts that go through the RecoverySelect process, meaning that a significant portion of students have been able to resolve their past-due accounts without entering collections. Moreover, 25% of these students ultimately return to the university, adding to the positive impact on student retention. A success story When asked about advice to other institutions, Pritchett emphasizes the importance of entering a trusted partnership to make the student-friendly approach successful. Experts like ECSI know how to streamline processes and stay compliant with evolving regulations, allowing institutions to focus more on supporting students in need. The University of Alabama's integration with ECSI's RecoverySelect serves as a model for higher education institutions grappling with past-due accounts. By prioritizing student experience, compliance, and efficiency, the University of Alabama found a path to improved retention rates and financial stability. Special Guest: Kristy Pritchett.

Smartphone use is ubiquitous, especially on college campuses. With nearly every student carrying a smart device with them all the time, it was only a matter of time before colleges began investigating whether mobile IDs could help enhance the student experience. Joe Harting, a leader in campus operations, joined the Focus podcast to discuss what he learned from pioneering Mobile ID for Apple and Android at Northern Arizona University (NAU) as the Director of Campus Operations. NAU’s spirit of innovation As one of three major higher ed institutions in the state of Arizona, the NAU Lumberjacks distinguish themselves by embracing innovation and pushing the envelope. After all, NAU was one of the first to introduce autonomous delivery robots with Starship Technologies (https://focus.fireside.fm/402-chrisneider-starship) on their campus. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the campus saw even further momentum to find creative solutions that would reduce public face-to-face interactions, increase convenience, and overall enhance the student experience. The right opportunity at the right time In 2018, Harting first partnered with TouchNet to implement a new system for their auxiliary services. Knowing that NAU were open to new ideas, Touchnet approached them with the opportunity to be the first school to pilot OneCard Mobile ID with their popular student ID, the Jacks Card. In NAU student surveys, mobile IDs were the number one requested feature for the NAU Go App. Students who have grown up with mobile devices their entire life expect an app for everything and NAU jumped at the opportunity to deliver what students want. Harting knew he had the right infrastructure already in place with TouchNet and the timing couldn’t have been better; the University was especially motivated to bring new and creative ideas to the table during the global pandemic. Putting the pieces in place The first step in the process was putting the budget in place to pay for the new program. Harting found success by presenting mobile IDs as an exciting new technology that could prove disruptive in the market. Harting also embarked on a communications campaign, bringing all stakeholders to the table and building the support necessary to move the project forward. Finally, NAU completed an internal discovery process and mobile readiness assessment with the help of TouchNet. “Touchnet provided us with the initial foundational documentation that was necessary for us to go through our campus, identify what we had in place, and how well positioned we were to introduce this new technology,” said Harting. Overcoming obstacles In implementing the Mobile Jacks Card, NAU had to consider every touchpoint the existing physical card was being used: dining, door access, transportation, recreation, etc. Harting’s staff uncovered more than 1,000 places the card could be engaged and had to find suitable alternatives where mobile IDs couldn’t be easily applied like when the Rec Center held a student ID in exchange for renting sports equipment. In some cases, the Mobile ID proved to be an even better solution than what the physical Jacks Card could provide. NAU also engaged a dedicated communications specialist from the beginning trained in change management and ADKAR (Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement). This specialist helped streamline the transition process through strategic messaging. Their efforts were backed by extensive focus group testing to help ensure the provisioning process was easy for students. Measuring success In a post-launch poll, 70 percent of NAU students gave the Mobile Jacks Card five stars out of five. More than 90 percent rated their satisfaction with three stars or more. Additionally, mobile IDs solved the problem of logistics issues and bottlenecks issuing IDs at the start of the school year. While physical IDs are still available, NAU is taking a “mobile first” approach, encouraging students to create their mobile IDs at orientation, making it one less thing students need to worry about when they come to campus as an official Lumberjack. No more long lines to get student ID pictures taken or pick up the printed ID. An unexpected positive consequence of mobile IDs, NAU also saw increased participation in meal plans and campus transactions. Since students are never without their phone, they’re never without their ID. “I've been fortunate to be a part of many, many, many projects and initiatives here throughout my 20 year career at NAU,” said Harting. “And I really have to say, this was, this has got to be in the top two or three, if not number one projects. It took a lot of time and energy and effort, but it was absolutely worth it.” The future of Mobile ID “As exciting and novel and as new as something like a mobile ID card is, I think, eventually, it's going to become [a matter of] making sure that your institution shows that you understand what student expectations are,” said Harting. “And that we are dynamic, innovative here and willing to deliver those experiences.” While mobile IDs may become business as usual across campuses, NAU is already looking at what comes next. Harting sees mobile ID as a way to create additional revenue opportunities – not just on campus, but also at local retailers, restaurants, movie theaters and more. Ideally, mobile IDs can be a catalyst to incentivizing those retailers to provide student discounts and rewards programs. Learn more about the TouchNet OneCard Mobile ID here (https://www.touchnet.com/id-management/mobile-id), or contact us (https://www.touchnet.com/about-us/contact-us) for a complimentary assessment of your campus technology to see how close you are to implementing Mobile ID on your campus. Special Guest: Joe Harting.

Sustainability is an increasingly present topic in higher education. Today’s students value sustainability in their lives - on and off campus. Karen Dickinson, General Manager of TAFE Queensland Gold Coast, recently joined the FOCUS podcast to share how their new Robina Campus has taken a holistic approach to sustainability since its inception. From finding best practices to how sustainability is infused into every aspect of the campus, Robina serves as a model for comprehensive sustainability in higher education. TAFE Queensland Gold Coast TAFE (Technical and Further Education) Queensland Gold Coast boasts 22,000 students and 650 staff across six campuses along the Gold Coast of Australia. As the general manager, Dickinson oversees operations of the campus, students and staff. Around four years ago, the construction of the new Robina Campus opened the opportunity to push the envelope with sustainability in higher ed and challenge themselves to create a low carbon footprint campus. New plans of action As Dickinson researched best practices for sustainable campuses around the world, she saw a lack of holistic approaches. While the institutions were doing their part to be environmentally friendly, not many were infusing sustainability into every aspect of their schools. “What I wanted to do with the Robina Campus was build a campus that would incorporate sustainability into all aspects of running a campus,” says Dickinson. TAFE Queensland Gold Coast decided they needed to gather all the best practices to be activated in one complete approach that not only delivered sustainable operations, but also educates students on how to be good stewards of the environment inside and outside of the classroom. The Robina Campus Sustainability is in the DNA of the Robina Campus, starting with the build. Designers structured the large atrium using salvaged timbers. They chose carpets made from recycled materials and placed environmentally-focused art lines the walls. Skateboard and scooter storage, electric vehicle charging, organic composting areas, and recycling bins are scattered across the campus. The classroom space at Robina has also been optimized for resource management. Each room is multi-purpose, outfitted with the latest technology used to livestream and record classes. Sustainability is even infused into the curriculum, and students have weekly opportunities to take part in eco-friendly activities. Another large part of Robina’s holistic approach is obtaining sustainable or local resources for other on-campus offerings. Local farms supply food to the cafe and restaurant, which only use biodegradable utensils and dishes. Additionally, all suppliers the institution engages with are evaluated on their commitments to sustainability and being carbon neutral before being selected. Data in sustainability Robina generates 50% of their power usage from 300 solar panels, putting 12-15% back on the grid. They monitor all power, water, and wastage through Power BI. This data is used to weed out inefficiencies in resource management and help build better processes to fill those gaps. Green your campus While the road to a sustainable campus can be long, Robina serves as a model for greener possibilities. Dickinson attributes much of the institution’s success to engaging staff and local consulting early in the planning process. TAFE Queensland Gold Coast’s support and investment in the new campus’s mission also made the green transition as smooth as possible. Dickinson believes that the key to greening your campus is through the holistic approach, but it cannot be done without the support of your institution and staff. With Robina’s growing admission numbers and overall student satisfaction, it’s clear to see that sustainable campuses have a future in higher education. Special Guest: Karen Dickinson.

With all the high-tech innovations coming to campuses, it’s easy to overlook the need for a human factor in the spirit of transformation. Joe Abraham, operating partner at Beyond Academics, recently joined the FOCUS podcast to weigh in on how to encourage innovation by understanding teams through the lens of entrepreneurship. Abraham is also the author of Entrepreneurial DNA, which explores four entrepreneurial archetypes, and shares how each applies to higher ed. By understanding your team’s entrepreneurial DNA and build a team strategy with those strengths in mind, Abraham says we can see that the real key to innovation in higher ed is not technology, but the human factor. Beyond Academics As Abraham explains, Beyond Academics operates in three parts. The first is research and development into what the future holds for higher ed and how entrepreneurial behavior will affect the college enterprise. From the conclusions found in this research, Beyond Academics consults campuses in need of help developing and executing new strategies. “What we try and teach schools is look, figure out who you are, who are your people, and let's build strategy around you. Rather than trying to be someone you're not,” says Abraham. The final component of the operation is finding innovative tech companies to invest in and bring into Beyond Academics’ partner program to advocate for in the ed-tech space. Entrepreneurial DNA In Abraham’s book, he uses the BOSI model to categorize the four types of entrepreneurial DNA present across all people. This breaks down into having builder, opportunist, specialist, or innovator traits. He applies the BOSI model across institutions to gain a better picture of higher ed’s entrepreneurial makeup. Builders are focused on scaling a business fast and account for around 15% of staff in higher ed. Success for them is measured by infrastructure — which when applied to higher ed, could mean payroll and available square-footage on campus. Opportunists make up around 6% of people in higher ed and are money motivated. They tend to take high risks for high rewards and are natural promoters for what they are passionate about. Specialists are the most common in higher ed and found in 58% of staff. They are experts at what they do, consistent, and work hard to build a reputation for their institution. Specialists are the opposite of opportunists. Lastly are innovators, who are driven by a mission or purpose and the inverse of builders. They want to change their industry and see how their work impacts people. Innovators make up 21% of higher ed staff. DNA for greatness There are three principles for how a campus’ entrepreneurial makeup can be applied to strategy: individually, at a team/management level, and institutionally. Communication is key to create success at all levels. Abraham finds that grouping opposite DNA types can create a balance of behaviors in team dynamics. Each type has its strengths, which can be the perfect complement to another type’s weaknesses. Know your archetype Abraham’s BOSI assessment is available for free, or for a small fee for team use. With these DNA types, institutions can learn how to set their teams up for success, which in turn will set a solid foundation for encouraging innovation. Learn more about BOSI here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gYe7KlqFMo Get a copy of Entrepreneurial DNA here: https://www.amazon.com/Entrepreneurial-DNA-Strengths-Successful-Business/dp/0071754512 Special Guest: Joe Abraham.