Clemson Taps Tech for Contactless Package Retrieval

Students at Clemson University can avoid trips to the mail center and pick up their packages in a secure, contactless environment, thanks to technology from Ricoh. The institution has installed more than 500 Ricoh Intelligent Lockers on campus, expanding on an overall revamp of its campus mail and print centers.

When Clemson's mail services team receives students' packages, the packages are scanned and then delivered to Intelligent Lockers all over campus. Students then receive an e-mail notification to collect their package from a locker close to their residence. Students can unlock the locker and retrieve their package using a one-time release code, or via contactless options such as tapping their student ID card or scanning a QR code.

The university piloted the technology during move-in week, during which more than 1,400 packages were delivered. Student wait time at the mail center decreased by 13 percent, and 99 percent of students who used the lockers said they were extremely satisfied with their overall experience, according to a news announcement.

"Our biggest complaint has been from students who were not included in the original pilot, they also want access to the Intelligent Lockers," said Lori Brierre, strategic operations director for Procurement and Business Services at Clemson, in a statement. "We're thankful to be rolling it out for more students this fall. Our students like to do things on their own time, on their own terms and ideally in a very streamlined fashion — and now with the coronavirus pandemic, we anticipate options for contactless pickup to be a new ask."

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Training the Next Generation of Space Cybersecurity Experts

    CT asked Scott Shackelford, Indiana University professor of law and director of the Ostrom Workshop Program on Cybersecurity and Internet Governance, about the possible emergence of space cybersecurity as a separate field that would support changing practices and foster future space cybersecurity leaders.

  • modern college building with circuit and brain motifs

    Anthropic Launches Claude for Education

    Anthropic has announced a version of its Claude AI assistant tailored for higher education institutions. Claude for Education "gives academic institutions secure, reliable AI access for their entire community," the company said, to enable colleges and universities to develop and implement AI-enabled approaches across teaching, learning, and administration.

  • AI microchip, a cybersecurity shield with a lock, a dollar coin, and a laptop with financial graphs connected by dotted lines

    Survey: Generative AI Surpasses Cybersecurity in 2025 Tech Budgets

    Global IT leaders are placing bigger bets on generative artificial intelligence than cybersecurity in 2025, according to new research by Amazon Web Services (AWS).

  • university building surrounded by icons for AI, checklists, and data governance

    Improving AI Governance for Stronger University Compliance and Innovation

    AI can generate valuable insights for higher education institutions and it can be used to enhance the teaching process itself. The caveat is that this can only be achieved when universities adopt a strategic and proactive set of data and process management policies for their use of AI.