CAS Member Spotlight: National Association of Campus Card Users (NACCU)

NACCU was founded in 1993 and is the only member association dedicated to serving professionals who manage campus identification programs in higher education. Its knowledgeable, friendly community of campus professionals is passionate about doing what's best for their campuses and the students and staff they serve, making NACCU an invaluable resource for unlocking the potential of the campus card.

The campus card plays a vital role in the higher education experience, providing students, staff, and faculty with access to many campus services, including dining and meal plans, housing and dorm access, event tickets, transportation, and more. Mobile credentials and digital IDs mean identification credentials can now meet students where they are in their digital world. NACCU members benefit from networking opportunities, partnerships, technology leverage, problem-solving, insight sharing, and professional development, along with a range of high-quality educational programs, resources, services, and tools. NACCU membership is open to all colleges, universities, secondary institutions, and companies involved in the campus identification credential market.

Mission & Alignment with CAS
NACCU empowers campus credential professionals to lead change, streamline operations, and enhance the campus experience through innovation, collaboration, and education.
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That commitment aligns naturally with CAS’s mission to promote professional standards that strengthen the development, assessment, and continuous improvement of quality programs and services in higher education.
Together, NACCU and CAS help professionals elevate their work from operational necessity to strategic institutional impact.

How Has NACCU Benefited from CAS?
Being part of CAS has helped NACCU further elevate the campus credential profession within the broader higher education community. Since becoming a CAS member in 2020, NACCU has helped shape nationally recognized standards for Campus Credential Programs and Services, ensuring the field is represented meaningfully and sustainably. This collaboration has strengthened the visibility, credibility, and strategic relevance of campus credential professionals across institutions.

How CAS Standards Support Members
For campus credential programs, the standards and Self-Assessment Guide offer a practical roadmap to strengthen documentation, improve effectiveness, and clearly communicate value to campus leadership. That kind of structure is especially powerful in a field that increasingly contributes to student experience, institutional efficiency, and data-informed decision-making.

Success Story
One powerful illustration of the value of completing a self-assessment is featured in the NACCU webinar From the Electric Closet to the Current of the University. This session chronicles a campus card office’s remarkable evolution from operating out of an electric closet to securing a premier retail location and ultimately becoming an enterprise-level operation. Their transformation began with a clear understanding of their strengths, gaps, and opportunities, made visible through the self-assessment process.
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Another compelling success story comes from an SEC institution. After completing a self-assessment, the campus credential office was well-positioned to articulate its needs when the Vice President asked department leaders how they would use additional resources. Armed with data and a clear vision, the office successfully secured funding for a new position. The individual hired into that role has since grown into a leadership position on the NACCU Board, demonstrating how strategic self-assessment can elevate both departmental impact and professional advancement.

Engaging with CAS
Professionals in the campus card profession are encouraged to explore the CAS General Standards and the Campus Credential Programs and Services standards, which give professionals a clear foundation for evaluating and improving their programs. NACCU complements that work by helping professionals bring the standards to life through peer learning, educational events, and a vibrant community of campus credential leaders.

What NACCU Wants Higher Education to Know
Campus credential services play a vital role across identity management, access, campus services, and the overall student experience. Students use their campus card 17-19 times each day, making it essential to both daily operations and student success. Because of this far-reaching role, campus card professionals develop a uniquely comprehensive understanding of how a campus functions, connecting systems, people, and processes in ways few other departments can. This perspective is invaluable when demonstrating the strategic value of campus credential programs.
 
NACCU exists to help institutions understand and advance that strategic value by connecting campus credential professionals with the knowledge, partnerships, and professional development they need to support student success and institutional resilience.

Upcoming Events & Initiatives
NACCU would welcome amplification of its year-round leadership and professional development initiatives, including NACCU LEAP, an eight-month program that prepares members for significant volunteer and board leadership roles, with applications for the next cohort due August 27, 2026.

We would also appreciate visibility for NACCU’s ongoing community-building and learning opportunities through the events calendar, including upcoming NACCU Near You, one-day drive-in events hosted by campuses around the country. The NACCU Industry Essentials Institute for those new to the profession is held online in the fall and in person at our Annual Conference, which will be held in Chattanooga, TN, April 4–7, 2027.