FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 17, 2003
CONTACT: Ward Mullens
Ward.mullens@emich.edu
734.487.4400

Eastern Michigan University partners with HigherOne;
introduces new, enhanced ID card

YPSILANTI– Eastern Michigan University students, faculty and staff will be sporting new and enhanced University IDs this fall as a result of a recent agreement between the University and HigherOne, a financial services firm focused exclusively on creating customized solutions for the higher education market.

The new card provides EMU students, faculty and staff with a OneAccount, which links HigherOne’s customized financial system with the University’s administrative financial system and Eagle Express flex account.

The card will function as a MasterCard debit card acceptable at more than 30 million merchants worldwide. Cardholders can get cash from ATMs, write checks, send and receive money electronically and monitor their accounts online. The service makes it possible for students to receive financial aid and other University refunds electronically to their OneAccount and for all student employees to electronically receive their payroll checks.

“The new system will allow the University to put refunds in the hands of students much more efficiently than in the past,” said Patrick Doyle, EMU vice president for business and finance. “Plus, students and faculty will have the added benefit of using the MasterCard debit card in more venues.” The current Eagle Express card is limited to campus and a few local businesses.

“We’re very excited to have the opportunity to provide this service to EMU,” Higher One’s National Sales Vice President Walter Hinckfoot said. “This is a good fit with our commitment to improving the student experience and helping universities improve efficiency.”

A team of EMU and HigherOne are working together to insure a smooth program launch.

“The project team is coming together nicely. We are working on a very aggressive timeline to implement the program. One of our major tasks is to encourage students, faculty and staff to check the accuracy of the mailing address they have on file with EMU, and to make sure they have an ID photo on file. This will guarantee that everyone receives a new ID in a timely fashion,” Nora T. Lee, HigherOne’s project implementation manager, said.

Eastern Michigan University is a public comprehensive metropolitan university that offers programs in the arts, sciences and professions. EMU prepares students with the intellectual skills and practical experiences to succeed in their careers and lives, and to be better citizens.

HigherOne provides banking relationships, customized private label and one card banking relationships to higher education institutions. With an exclusive focus on higher education and an innovative approach to student financial services, the company’s solutions help university partners reduce administrative costs, streamline business processes, increase revenue opportunities, improve the student experience and strengthen campus community. The company is led by a team of executives with backgrounds in higher education, finance, banking and entrepreneurship. HigherOne’s customers represent a community of more than 100,000 students and include distinguished public and private institutions including the first, higher education institution to win the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

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