Add as a preferred source on Google

Electronic Access Control Improves Safety

  • 02/01/17
Jones County Junior College

Lowering lost key costs and reducing thefts were just two of the benefits Jones County Junior College noticed after installing locks from Allegion.

Jones County Junior College (JCJC), an accredited two-year college in Ellisville, MS, houses about 850 students per year in its residence halls.

With new students enrolling each semester, key management can become an expensive security issue. Keys are issued at the beginning of the semester, but several are misplaced throughout the year. Each lost key costs JCJC $150 in material and labor to replace.

This became a recurring issue for Smith Hall residents. Rather than spending thousands of dollars replacing all 108 locks, Joseph Van Tuggle, director of Men’s Housing at JCJC, explored electronic access control. Hoping to increase security but keep costs down, Tuggle turned to the Schlage® NDE Series electronic lock from Allegion.

In July 2015, JCJC’s new system included Schlage AD-400 wireless electronic locks and NDE Wireless Cylindrical Locks with ENGAGE™ technology. AD-400 locks were added onto 26 suite doors and NDE Series locks were installed on 82 bedroom doors.

“After installing the NDE Series, we utilized the ENGAGE cloud-based mobile application to view who accessed specific doors, enabling us to better investigate reported thefts and break-ins,” Tuggle says.

AD Series locks are made for openings that separate public areas from restricted areas, making it the ideal solution for suite doors at JCJC. The NDE Series is easy to install, manage and use, and was developed for facilities — like campus residence and tenant units — interested in upgrading to electronic credentials. With built-in WiFi, NDE Series locks can connect directly to an existing network, enabling automatic updates, access privileges and event history.

In the two years before installing the NDE and AD series locks, JCJC had five thefts reported in Smith Hall, which equated to an estimated cost of $500-$1,000 per incident. Since then, there have been no reported thefts in the dorm.

Due to its success, JCJC now plans to incorporate Schlage products from Allegion in two other buildings.

www.allegion.com

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Upcoming University of Alabama Performing Arts Center Hits Construction Milestone

    The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., recently celebrated the topping out of its new Smith Family Center for Performing Arts, according to a news release. The university is partnering with HPM for program and project management on the facility, which broke ground in 2023 and is scheduled for completion in November 2026.

  • UNL Kiewit Hall

    Designing for Engineering Excellence: Integrating Sustainability and Wellness at UNLs Kiewit Hall

    Kiewit Hall at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln exemplifies how academic institutions can integrate sustainability and wellness into modern learning environments. With an integrated and collaborative team approach, Kiewit Hall addresses enhanced learning and creativity, physical health, and mental wellness, and fosters a sense of community through innovative design, operations, and policy solutions.

  • classroom with crystal ball on top of a desk

    Call for Opinions: Spaces4Learning 2026 Predictions for Educational Facilities

    As 2025 winds to a close, the Spaces4Learning staff is asking its readers—school administrators, architects, engineers, facilities managers, builders, superintendents, designers, vendors, and more—to send us their predictions for educational facilities in 2026.

  • LSU Breaks Ground on $200M Residential Project

    Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La., recently broke ground on a new residential complex, according to university news. The South Quad residential project will consist of two buildings and add a total of 1,266 beds for freshmen students. The development comes with a price tag of $200 million, and it’s scheduled to open to students in fall 2027.

Digital Edition