Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

How can campus ID cards serve Gen Z students?

Generation Z students have very different expectations than the students that have preceded them. When it comes to meeting the needs of Gen Z, colleges need to look at new ways to upgrade the campus experience. Although plenty of institutions have made an effort to technologically enhance educational tools, few have devoted similar attention toward the campus ID.

Gen Z expects instant gratification. The first step toward meeting Gen Z’s expectations starts with improving the student orientation experience. Implementing multi-location capture, enrollment, and printing enables all ID stations to access card templates from anywhere—not just the card office—reducing wait times and lines that Gen Z students detest.

Gen Z students are the most tech-forward generation. Colleges must advance from low-tech, low-security access solutions to more high-tech options like contactless transactions and mobile ID. The most cutting-edge universities enhance the modern student experience by enabling their campus ID cards to perform multiple functions across campus, such as access to vending, meal plans, laundry, libraries, and transportation.

Finally, offering card customization options, such as the option to show membership in a campus organization or a certain academic program, caters to the Gen Z student’s desire for individualized experiences, while enhancing university branding initiatives.

These innovations will not only speed up the issuance and reissuance process, but also cultivate an experience that will win over incoming freshmen.

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management September 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

About the Author

Jeff Meier is the director of Marketing for Identity and Access Management (IAM) Solutions at Entrust Datacard (entrustdatacard.com). He can be reached at 952-933-1223 or [email protected].

Featured

  • University of Washington Opens New Broadcast Studio

    The University of Washington in Seattle, Wash., recently announced the opening of Sundodger Studios, a new broadcast, production, and content facility, according to a news release. The university partnered with Anthony James Partners for the design and development of the studio, which will host about 100 live broadcasts and 120 live videoboard shows per year.

  • Q&A: How to Prevent Kitchen Grease Fires in Commercial Kitchens

    School cafeterias and university dining halls serve thousands of meals daily, relying on high-heat equipment like fryers, grills, and ovens. While these operations keep students fed, they also generate significant grease-laden vapors. Without proper controls, this grease becomes a silent fire threat. As a certified exhaust cleaning specialist and business coach who has helped hundreds of institutional facilities achieve NFPA 96 compliance, I emphasize that proactive grease management isn’t optional; it’s a core fire/life safety practice.

  • California High School Opens New Classroom Building for 7th-, 8th-Graders

    Santa Rosa City Schools in Santa Rosa, Calif., recently announced the completion of a new classroom building for Piner High School. As the campus transitions to a Junior/Senior High School, the facility will play home to the school’s new population of seventh- and eighth-grade students.

  • Texas A&M Opens First Building at Fort Worth Campus, Breaks Ground on Research Facility

    The Texas A&M University System marked a major milestone in the development of its Fort Worth campus by opening its first completed academic building and breaking ground on a second facility designed to expand research and industry collaboration.