Client Success Story - Morehead State University

A Touchless Campus

At Morehead State University, magnetic stripe-only cards are so five minutes ago. Always one to stay ahead of the curve, the regional university has long used chip and magnetic stripe combo cards to facilitate payment across campus. When the time came to upgrade, however, the chip technology proved unable to support the level of expansion and breadth of applications needed. In 2008, Morehead State decided to take contactless card technology to the next level by supporting a wide variety of applications campus-wide with iCLASS readers. More than 220 iCLASS readers are now in place to manage purchases and privileges for dining services, access control, bookstore purchases, copying and printing, laundry payment, snack and beverage vending, and much more.

"We knew of many universities using iCLASS for door access, but we wanted to use it for as many applications as possible," says Doug Snedegar, EagleCard Coordinator, Morehead State University. "Our students were already used to contactless chip cards, so it was a natural progression to take the EagleCard program to the next level by expanding our contactless technology for purchases across campus."

Improving Convenience and the Bottom Line

In addition to improving convenience, iCLASS readers at the point of sale are proving valuable revenue drivers as well. According to Bill Redwine, Assistant Vice President for Auxiliary Services, students are now making more deposits and carrying larger balances in their EagleCard accounts. He attributes these upswings to the convenience afforded by the iCLASS readers as well as the introduction of BeakerBucks, a new multi-use account rolled out in conjunction with the iCLASS readers. Previously, students used several different EagleCard accounts for different types of purchasing (dining, vending, business office, etc.). BeakerBucks can be used almost anywhere, making it easier for students to manage and utilize their EagleCard funds.

Redwine reports that card-based vending purchases are also up. When vending purchases were made only with accounts stored on a contactless chip, EagleCard purchases made up 30-32% of total snack and beverage vending sales. Since installing iCLASS readers on vending machines and introducing BeakerBucks for purchases campus-wide, the percentage has increased to 40%.

Support for Satellite Campuses

Morehead State's main campus is located in Morehead, but the university also supports five regional campuses throughout Kentucky. The school is in the planning stages of adding iCLASS functionality to these outlying campuses. A pay-for-print solution using Eagle Cards has never been available to these sites because the contactless chip technology would have required an employee to visit each location—some up to 60 miles away—to download transactions. Now that EagleCard payment for copying and printing is managed online with Odyssey PCS, Morehead State plans to expand the EagleCard program to offer these students and staff printing and other EagleCard capabilities.

Breaking New Ground

Morehead State was the first Odyssey PCS user to roll out such a large-scale iCLASS implementation. Some universities would find this cause for concern. For Morehead, it was cause for excitement.

"We understood going into the project that, as the first implementation of our kind, there might be wrinkles to iron out, but this implementation was one of the smoothest we have ever had," says Snedegar. "CBORD's sales and technical reps were very helpful, and the process was incredibly smooth."

"Morehead prides itself on being a high-tech institution, so contactless EagleCard solutions are well in line with the university's technological vision," says Redwine. "Our administration sees real value in staying on the cutting edge of technology, whether it is through a card system, a laptop program, or a digital textbook. The use of iCLASS with Odyssey PCS is a great fit."

iCLASS Across Campus

• Door access control (2 computer labs)
• Dining services (13 readers with MICROS)
• Bookstore purchases (6 readers with MBS)
• Snack/beverage vending (102 readers)
• Laundry payment (44 readers)
• Copying (10 readers with Canon)
• Printing (35 readers with Pharos)
• Business office payment (1 reader with Epic)
• IKON document center (1 reader with Epic)
• EagleCard office use (3 readers with Encores)
• ValuePorts (5 readers)
• Residence hall door access control (planned)
• Health center (planned)
• Library (planned)
• Concessions (planned)