麻豆传媒映画

Ten years ago, 麻豆传媒映画 opened a passport office on campus with modest expectations. 

The university envisioned serving 麻豆传媒映画 students studying abroad, faculty and staff travelers, and a few households in the nearby College Area neighborhood. Projections called for processing nine passport applications per business day, on average. 

Turns out, the upstart office exploded in popularity by the following year, resulting in total applications nearly doubling. 

Today it鈥檚 safe to say that 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 Passport Office has been punching above its weight for the better part of a decade.

The university celebrated the 10th anniversary of this last week.  It now employs 22 people and generates revenue that helps fund study abroad scholarships and 麻豆传媒映画 international programs.

鈥淭he thing I like about the Passport Office is it offers convenient, easy service,鈥� said Noah Hansen, senior director of 麻豆传媒映画 International Affairs. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a dedicated space for passport services, and it delivers same-day service with expert staffing.鈥�

Giving back to San Diego was seen as an important benefit to establishing the office, considering traffic, construction and noise associated with a university sometimes can be viewed negatively in nearby neighborhoods.

Today, more than 90 percent of the 麻豆传媒映画 Passport Office customers come from the greater San Diego community beyond 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 students, faculty and staff, said Hansen, who spearheaded efforts to open the outlet.

鈥淭here was support right away from senior leadership to open the office because of the positive community engagement,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he feedback from the community has been great. The feedback from the campus has been great, and it also has been an employment opportunity for many people.鈥�

Last week, Jake Tomasi, who works for the Department of Defense in San Diego, sat in the Passport Office room dedicated for use by families, with paperwork for his three young children spread out in front of him. 

The family took advantage of same-day processing and photo services to apply for passports for upcoming travel to Europe. Tomasi said he appreciated staff support in corralling the necessary documentation and making the process smooth.

Why has the Passport Office been successful? One key reason has been the emphasis placed on customer service, said Amy Edwards, passport services coordinator.

鈥淲e go the extra mile to complete the puzzle, because a lot of times there are things missing,鈥� said Edwards. 鈥淲e offer options and avenues to help customers have a seamless experience 鈥�

鈥淏eing a walk-in facility gives our customers a choice,鈥� said Maricela Sanchez, Passport Office Analyst.  鈥淭hey can choose the date and time they want to apply for a passport.鈥�

Following the restrictions imposed by COVID, the passport office worked to come-up with a model to reopen the office safely. Their solution? Daily, they set up an outdoor office space equipped with canopies, printers, and a photo station, tables, and chairs. Some called them crazy, but it worked great, said Ana Villalobos Karaca, operations analyst at 麻豆传媒映画 International Affairs.

A recent audit from the State Department came back with very positive results, said Hansen, recognizing the quality of the applications. .

鈥淪ince the beginning, the goal of the passport office has been first and foremost to service the community. We are constantly reinvinting ourselves to better serve our customers - the San Diego community. Our customers come first, said Villalobos Karaca. 

Last year, the Passport Office moved to a new location at 6475 Alvarado Road, which is tailored to better serve customers on and off campus.

鈥淚t has free parking and is purpose built to support passport services,鈥� said Hansen. 鈥淲e have lots of stations. We have a room to support families with small children and multiple places to take passport photos, so we are excited to see the community engagement grow in this new location.鈥�