[012] Self-service kiosk at MTSU provides convenient option for driver license renewal

State Department of Safety and Homeland Security partners with university

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — MTSU students, faculty and staff as well as the surrounding community are being encouraged to take advantage of a more convenient option to renew or replace a Tennessee driver license or state identification card.

Representatives from the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, including Commissioner Bill Gibbons, joined MTSU officials on Tuesday (July 19) to officially unveil and raise public awareness about the driver license self-service kiosk installed earlier on campus.

Located inside Blue Print Solutions on the first floor of the Student Union Building at 1768 MTSU Blvd., the kiosk is open to the general public, as well as students and staff. The kiosk is accessible from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

A searchable campus parking map is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap. Off-campus visitors should obtain a special one-day permit from MTSU’s Office of Parking and Transportation at http://www.mtsu.edu/parking/visit.php.

Tennessee citizens may use the kiosk to renew or replace an existing driver license or state identification card. The kiosk takes a photo and uses facial verification to verify the image on record. It processes credit card payment and prints an interim license, which is valid for 20 days. The new secure license or ID card is mailed to the applicant’s home.

“We appreciate MTSU giving us the opportunity to provide this service on campus,” Gibbons said. “It will be a real convenience for those who attend or teach classes here on campus, and will help us reduce wait times at our Murfreesboro area driver services centers.”

Gibbons noted that the Murfreesboro driver services center on Samsonite Boulevard is one of the busiest in the state, averaging about 25,000 transactions a year. Installed in 2014, the MTSU kiosk averages about 900 transactions annually, a number the state wants to increase.

Joining Gibbons at the announcement were Joe Bales, vice president of university advancement at MTSU, and Michael Hogan, director of the state’s Driver Services Division and an alumnus who lives in Murfreesboro.

“MTSU is always looking to take advantage of partnerships that can benefit campus and the wider community, and the addition of this kiosk is a great example of that,” Bales said. “We’re pleased to partner with the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security to offer this convenient service.”

“We’re always looking for new initiatives to help address our processes, and this (self-service kiosk) is just one of them,” said Hogan, noting that the MTSU kiosk was the second of five kiosks now installed on college campuses throughout the state.

The department has installed 39 kiosks at various locations across Tennessee. For a complete listing of locations, visit http://tn.gov/safety/article/kiosks.

Ed Arning, director of MTSU printing services, said the kiosk complements the services already provided by Blue Print Solutions, which offers a wide range of graphic arts-related production services from fliers and brochures to large-format posters and banners for the campus community.

For more information about Blue Print Solutions, visit http://www.mtsu.edu/blueprint/.