Apple iPhone 6: The Next Student Campus Card?

  • 11/13/14

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Apple’s iPhone 6 could dramatically change the way colleges and universities process student campus card transactions, according to vendor-independent campus card business consultant Robert C. Huber, CMC, CPCM. For the past 50 years, colleges, universities, hospitals and corporate campuses have been issuing plastic cards and badges to their students and employees using a variety of technologies. New hardware and software in devices like the iPhone 6 are paving the way for the transition to digital — using smartphones as both a secure form of ID and payment processing.

Huber, who developed the “All-Campus Card” in 1985, combined many traditional campus applications (Dining Services, Library, Vending, Laundry, Copiers, Parking, Door Access) and consolidated them, along with a FLEXible spending account, all using a single ID card.

The non-patented “The All-Campus Card” concept revolutionized how academic, healthcare and corporate campuses deliver services and facilitate door access privileges worldwide.

Now, Huber envisions these same organizations, along with boarding schools and high schools, accepting user-provided mobile credentials, such as smartphones, in lieu of institution-issued physical ID cards.

“Since most students already have personal smartphones and managing their online accounts is something they already do everyday, providing their own 'virtual' Campus Card will most likely be preferred and even perceived as improved Customer Service,” suggests Huber.

“Although it took a few years for many of us to switch from paper tickets to e-tickets, the acceptance of smartphones by the TSA as valid passenger identification has been relatively smooth,” adds Huber. “In a similar manner, I expect to see a wave of institutions shifting their policies, operations and technologies to self-provided and self-managed credentials by the end of the decade," Huber predicts in his forthcoming 2015 Campus Card Industry Forecast.

The new Apple iPhone 6 includes several features which are similar to many state-of-the-art campus cards:

  • Apple Pay will allow users to process multiple forms of payments using their personal mobile credentials.
  • Encryption of payment card data and non-transmission of credit card numbers to merchants.
  • An internal Near-Field Communication (NFC) chip will wirelessly process transactions (similar to Bluetooth Smart) as a more secure payment technology than magnetic-stripe cards.

Apple’s introduction of this new technology via the iPhone 6 is a game-changer... one that Huber is now adding to his next Campus Card Industry Forecast. To view photos, articles, time lines, legacy card readers, videos and press releases displayed in the "Campus Card History Museum," visit www.AllCampusCard.com.

Featured

  • Texas District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The Splendora Independent School District (SISD) in Splendora, Texas, recently broke ground on a replacement facility for Greenleaf Elementary School, according to a news release. The district partnered with planning, engineering and program management firm Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN) for the project.

  • cutaway view of a modern school building, showing various rooms and zones

    Layering AI into HVAC Systems Shows Reduction in Carbon Emissions

    Heating and cooling systems are just one of the many new ways that AI can be integrated into schools. According to a new study from Schneider Electric's Sustainability Research Institute, AI-powered HVAC systems in schools can lead to significant carbon emissions savings.

  • Springfield Breaks Ground on $53.7M Pipkin Middle School Rebuild

    Construction is underway on a new, state-of-the-art Pipkin Middle School in Springfield, Mo., a major step in Springfield Public Schools’ (SPS) long-term facility improvement plan, according to local news. The $53.7-million project officially broke ground in early June, following years of planning and community input aimed at modernizing aging infrastructure and addressing student capacity concerns.

  • California School District Starts Construction on Public Safety Center

    The San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) recently announced that construction has begun on a new public safety center that will house the district’s safety and security programs. According to a news release, the James Ramos Center for Public Safety will measure in at 17,140 square feet and contain the district’s Police Department, Office of Emergency Management, and cadet program.

Digital Edition