Blackboard Commerce Suite Case Study
The Networked Transaction Environment
at Clemson University
“The Tiger 1 Card is an essential part of the Clemson experience.”
Steve Robbins
Director of Information Technology Services
Division of Student Affairs
Clemson University’s Tiger 1 Card is the official university ID card. In addition to being the student’s personal identification card, Tiger 1 Cards serve as debit cards to access funds deposited into “TigerStripe”
accounts, enabling students to obtain university dining services, check out library books and access residential halls, campus recreation centers and athletic ticket privileges. In 2004, Clemson expanded the Tiger
1 program to include off-campus merchants. Each Clemson student uses the Tiger 1 Card an average of
18 times per day. The Tiger 1 Card program has averaged sales of $4.7 million/year over the past 3 years.
In 2003, 3 million transactions were processed.
CLEMSON UNIVERSITY
The Blackboard Commerce Suite™ provides
Blackboard’s e-Commerce capability, which
A selective public
land-grant university
the enabling systems and software that power
enables online deposit of funds to TigerStripe
Clemson’s successful Card Services program.
accounts, is very convenient for students and
Clemson started using Blackboard® systems in
parents. Nancy Harshman, System Adminis-
1988. The Blackboard Transaction System™
trator for Card Services, commented, “Par-
is the key technology that underpins the Tiger
ents love depositing funds online because
1 Card on campus, while BbOneSM extended
they don’t have to send in checks. A student
User of Blackboard
systems since 1988
Located in Clemson,
South Carolina
Undergraduate enrollment
in 2003: 13,813
Graduate enrollment
in 2003: 3,203
Faculty: 1,251
On campus.
Off campus.
Online.
the program to off-campus merchants. Web
can call a parent from a cell phone at the cam-
Commerce functionality in the Blackboard
pus bookstore to let them know that they need
Community System™ allows students and
money. Using online deposits, funds are imme-
parents to deposit funds online to TigerStripe
diately available.” The ability to deposit funds
accounts and will soon be extended to include
online has also reduced traffic in the Card
other Web commerce transactions.
Services office by over 40%, allowing staff to
SERVICE TO CAMPUS
COMMUNITY
“The Tiger 1 Card combines everything you
need for campus life. People on campus strongly
support the program—it has helped us to create
a stronger campus community,” according to
Bill McGee, Associate Director, Tiger 1 Card
Services. While students use their Tiger 1
Card for all campus necessities, Card Services
also helps student groups by lending Point of
Sale (POS) readers out for special fundraising
purposes. Staff and faculty also use Tiger 1
Cards to purchase products and services.
focus more on customer service.
One of Clemson University’s goals is to
create less paperwork. This is accomplished
as departments are increasingly relying on the
Tiger 1 Card for conducting business. Using
the card eliminates the need to keep cash on
hand, as well as reduces paperwork. The Tiger
1 Card program maintains receipts that may be
needed in case of a departmental audit. Card
Services will soon offer a TigerStripe account
to every department on campus to facilitate
electronic commerce.
Blackboard Commerce Suite Case Study
BUSINESS EFFICIENCY
Tiger 1 Facts
Having a single campus card has also created system-wide business efficiencies. According to Steve Robbins, Director of Information Technology
Services for the Division of Student Affairs, “The versatility and reliability
of this system has kept our administrative and operational costs down.”
Harshman noted that “Blackboard systems are wonderfully easy to use.
Blackboard has one of the most logically flowing pieces of software I have
ever used.” Harshman has also been pleased with the quality of the Blackboard technical support she has received: “Blackboard is very customeroriented. When I call Blackboard support, they are more than helpful.”
Tiger 1 Card used 18 times/day by average student
Approximately 25,000 card holders on campus
Over 3 million transactions processed per year
Deposits have averaged $4.7 million/year in
the past 3 years
$736,000 yearly budget (self-generating)
Staff: 7 full time employees and 6 student
workers
The Card Services office is committed to having its services available
to the campus community around the clock and its technical staff is
on call 24 x 7 to ensure availability. Blackboard systems support this
objective. According to McGee, “We have over 99% uptime—and the
rest is related to scheduled maintenance. We have never had downtime
related to system failure. Blackboard software is becoming more and
more user friendly as well as more IP and standards-based.”
350 Tiger 1 POS readers installed
Tiger 1 Card Program includes:
*Personal student ID card
*Debit card
*Meal plan
*Residence hall access
*Laundry
*Vending operations
*Library services
*Athletic ticket privilege access
*Off-campus merchants
NEW COMMERCE
A major initiative for Card Services in 2004 was the deployment of its
off-campus program for the Tiger 1 Card, using BbOne. The program
was launched in October 2004, in response to strong student demand
and a decision that having an off-campus program was the logical next
step for the Tiger 1 Card. At the end of 2004, there were 20 merchants
in the program, with an additional five expected in early 2005. According
to McGee, “We get call after call from merchants requesting access to
the Tiger 1 program.”
Robbins noted: “We are impressed with the performance of our offcampus program to date. During the first full month of the program,
off-campus sales led to a 26% increase in sales as compared to the
previous 3-year average. The response from students has been
extremely positive.”
Card Services plans to increase the number and diversity of off-campus
merchants in the future. Given that over 60% of Clemson students
commute to campus, adding more gas stations to the program is one goal,
as is including additional grocery stores and other frequented merchants.
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Clemson is planning to broaden its web commerce capabilities next
year using the Blackboard Community System, which in McGee’s view
will “open up more possibilities to offer our services to many new markets.” The on-campus bookstore is excited about enabling students to
buy books online using the Tiger 1 Card. The bookstore expects that
e-Commerce capabilities will increase its competitiveness against online bookstores. While it is currently difficult to justify the cost of
buying a $3,000 reader for small transactions, web commerce will enable
the Chemistry Department, for example, to sell relatively inexpensive lab
equipment. Moreover, student groups are eager to use e-Commerce to
expand fundraising for campus projects and causes. In early 2005, Card
Services will coordinate with the Clemson team that implements the
Blackboard Academic Suite™ to see how the two groups can coordinate
on best leveraging the Blackboard Community System.
ABOUT CLEMSON
Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina, is a selective
public university that offers more than 80 undergraduate and 100
graduate degree programs through its five academic colleges. The
university is committed to world-class teaching, research and public
service in the context of general education, student development and
continuing education. Clemson is located on 1,400 acres of beautiful
rolling hills within the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is
surrounded by 17,000 acres of University farms and woodlands devoted
to research in forestry, agriculture and agricultural engineering.
ABOUT BLACKBOARD
Blackboard is a leading provider of enterprise software applications
and related services to the education industry. The Company’s product
line consists of the Blackboard Academic Suite™ and the Blackboard
Commerce Suite™. Blackboard’s clients include colleges, universities,
schools and other education providers, as well as textbook publishers
and student-focused merchants that serve education providers and
their students. Blackboard is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW BLACKBOARD CAN HELP
YOU CREATE A NETWORKED TRANSACTION ENVIRONMENT AT
YOUR INSTITUTION, VISIT WWW.BLACKBOARD.COM
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