December 2006 UNK Department of the Month - ID Card Office and the ID Card Committee
“Look straight at the camera, shoulders back, chin down, big SMILE!” The UNK ID Card Office staff have repeated those words over 6,000 times during the last year. All students and employees were issued new ID cards during the fall of 2005 in conjunction with a new card system implementation. The Card Office staff were quick learners of the new software and strategically planned the order of re-carding to minimize any disruption of card services including meal plans and printing. The Card Office was open during evening and weekend hours during the re-carding to keep the lines short and the process moving. The Card Office has only a .5 FTE position dedicated to the production of ID cards and therefore relies heavily on cooperation and coordination with the Nebraskan Student Union office staff to accomplish its mission. The dedication and professionalism of both offices resulted in a smooth transition with minimal inconvenience to the students and employees.
The implementation of the new card system was coordinated by the ID Card Committee comprised of members of the following departments: Information Technology Services, Facilities, Business Services, Finance Office, Public Safety, Residential & Greek Life, and the Nebraskan. The committee has met twice a month for over two years in their efforts to select, configure, install and expand the card system services. As a result, the current system provides door access for 39 doors on campus, tracking for approximately 1,700 meal plans and 4,000 Loper Dollar accounts, 25 locations that accept Loper Dollars, 2 self service deposit stations, and over 600 cards linked to Wells Fargo bank accounts. At various times during the project, key members of the Committee have dedicated countless hours and hard work to accomplish their piece of the puzzle. The Committee’s teamwork and flexibility and continuous input from all of the members have resulted in a successful, virtually seamless transition and expansion of the new card system.
Because of their tireless dedication to ensure that the transition was a smooth and seamless one, as well as to ensure that the campus could continue eating, Staff Senate is honored to recognize the UNK ID Card Office and the ID Card Committee as the December 2006 UNK Department of the Month.
Thank you to Department of the Month sponsors UNK Athletics and UNK Staff Senate.