CATCARD SERVICES

STRATEGIC PLAN DOCUMENT

Winter 2005

Mission Statement

CatCard Services at Davidson College provides official college identification cards for all faculty, staff and students and manages the point-of-sale system through which individuals and departments may utilize their cards to purchase a broad variety of goods and services in a convenient and cashless manner, while providing a highly efficient accounting process for hundreds of thousands of financial transactions occurring throughout campus annually.

Vision Statement

The CatCard Services department is essential to convenient living and transaction experiences for students, faculty, and staff across the campus. The system allows students to live their lives and conduct their business on and nearby campus without cash and also functions as a bank debit card. The services are so low cost compared to other options that virtually all services on campus can be handled through CatCard services. Comprehensive integration between administrative systems on campus allows efficient processing and record-keeping provides CatCard users with timely updates on their spending.  

Who are our customers?

• Students - Our office provides official college identification cards for our students. We set up spending and meal plan accounts that are accessed with these cards.
• Auxiliary Services Departments – (Vail Commons, Wildcat Den, Union Café, Bookstore, Laundry, Campus Vending and Off-Campus Merchants) CatCard Services sets up all meal plans and spending accounts that are utilized at these locations.  We provide and maintain financial hardware equipment (readers and receipt printers) required to accept payment via 1CARD accounts and support Auxiliary Services managers with daily reports.  These reports enable our managers to balance daily sales, track items sold, count customers and monitor traffic flow into their locations.  
• Other College Departments  –We provide departmental charge cards which help departments manage and track their spending accounts.  Each month CatCard Services issues a summary report of these charges so that Business Services may post them to the correct General Ledger account. 
• Human Resources Department – The College tracks time and attendance of full-time hourly staff with a system called Kronos.  Full time hourly staff use their personal ID cards to activate this program.  Because temporary employees do not get official college ID cards, we generate a “Kronos” ID card for them.  Kronos tracks time and attendance electronically; employees clock in and out by swiping their cards.  The Wildcat Credit reward program transactions are tracked and billed thru our 1CARD program as well. 
• Admissions Department – We support Admissions by producing special ID cards for prospective students and their families.  We also include meal credits on these cards when requested.
• College Union -  The Union has two financial terminals and one copy terminal in the building.  Students use their declining balance accounts for purchasing poster shop supplies, playing a game of pool, purchasing a ride to the airport, paying for a beverage in the 900 Room, etc.   This has replaced a tremendous amount of cash activity that historically occurred in that building.
• The Union utilizes the CatCard to support many student organizations.  Like academic departments, these organizations can be issued a card for organizational purchases.  This allows these groups to track their spending at the Bookstore, at copiers, in the Union Café, etc. and manage their budgets more efficiently. 
• Davidson College Athletics - We support both the access-entry terminal into the Baker Sports Complex and a terminal used by students, faculty and staff to purchase extra tickets at the ticket office or to purchase promotional/marketing items (t-shirts and caps).  CatCard Services provides daily reports for this activity.
• Campus Library – the library has four copy machines with financial terminals.  Allowing our students another option of payment. 
• Faculty and Staff –  Upon request the College ID card becomes a personal charge-meal plan card.  We set up this account and bill the customer at the end of the month.  
• Vending Companies – CatCard Services supports students, faculty, and staff by providing card readers for our snack and beverage vendors to put on their machines.  This allows our students to make purchases using bonus bucks or declining balance. 
• Off-Campus Merchants - We support our students and add value to the CatCard, by having off-campus locations using the CatCard.  Currently card holders can phone Domino’s for a pizza delivery or purchase product at Joel’s Sushi for delivery or dine-in. 
• Spouse and Dependent – CatCard Services produces CatCards for spouses and dependents of Davidson employees. They can use the CatCard for entry to sporting events and to enjoy campus facilities like the Library, the Fitness Center, and the Game Room area of the Union. 

Who are our partners?

• ITS (David Link), the Physical Plant (Mark Knox), Residence Life (Judy Klein) Financial Aid (Linda Erickson), and Business Services (Donna Hamm/Edna Rimmer/Nancy Barrier). 
• ITS -  supports our software upgrades to the 1CARD system and monitors software/hardware and communication problems.  
• Physical Plant - supports CatCard by installing wiring and hardware and troubleshooting the hardware. Mark Knox installs all the needed fiber and power sources to connect the terminals and readers to the Network Managers and main server.
• Business Services – Business Services is the office that first receives many of our declining balance and meal plan requests.  They pass these requests on to our office.
• At the end of each month CatCard Services clears all the Department and Personal Charge accounts and forwards this information to Business Services to post to the proper customer accounts.
• Residence Life - We have teamed with Residence Life to assist with the access side of the program when needed.  There is a level of redundancy between Judy Klein, Linda Campbell, and Ruth French that allows us to serve students and manage the system when one of these individuals is away from the office.   

Strategic Goals

• Create marketing plan targeting students and their parents that:
  • Promotes off-campus merchant options
  • Sells benefits of cashless existence
  • Provides incentives for frequent users
  • Includes a random rewards programs
• Increase deposits into the CatCard declining balance account to $2 million by year 5.  Utilize contacts through National Association of Campus Card Users to find effective strategies of promotion.(by 2010) 
• Develop a business plan that promotes and encourages use of the OneCard system, departmentally, more broadly throughout campus, specifically concentrating on fee structure that is in best interest of the college as a whole. 
• Add at least two new off-campus merchants to the program – specifically targeting CVS and restaurant to replace Joel’s.  Increase revenues generated by the off-campus program by approximately $5000 per year for next five years. 
• Explore banking relationship that can fund CatCard Program and/or purchase of new ID card system provider.  As part of this research, determine feasibility of going to third party contractor for management of off-campus merchant
  program. 
• Create on-line forms for parents and students to sign up for meal plans and make CatCard deposits 24/7. 
• Determine operational efficiencies and new revenue streams that will allow department to reduce or eliminate $10 annual up charge to students by year 5.