UR Alert System set to launch Sept. 1

If an emergency strikes University of Richmond's campus, a new notification system will alert faculty, staff and students in a variety of ways.

Called UR Alert System, it will send emergency messages by text message, e-mail and voice mail to an individual's computer and cell, work and home phones. For students, messages will go to a local number, such as a dormitory room or off-campus residence phone, and a cell phone number.

Kathy Monday, vice president for information services, said IS and the telecommunications office plan to launch the system Sept. 1. "Members of the University community will receive instructions early in the semester on how to update their emergency contact information," she said.

Returning students enrolled in credit programs received a letter in late spring from Steve Bisese, vice president for student development, asking them to enter their emergency contact information onto BannerWeb. He sent a similar letter to incoming freshmen and transfers. Graduate students also have been asked for their contact information, and a parallel process to collect emergency information online from faculty and staff should be ready by Sept. 1, said Troy Boroughs, director of systems and networks.

The University licensed NTI Group Inc.'s Connect-ED product, which provides the capability to send voice, text and e-mail messages to various constituencies of the University. The system is fully hosted by NTI, which has data and call centers throughout the country, said Monday. She said the "redundant systems eliminate asingle point of failure."

Connect-ED was built exclusively for higher education and enables colleges and universities to record, schedule, send and track thousands of messages in minutes. The University's designated "senders" can use a Web browser or just a telephone to send calls immediately in emergency situations, said Monday.

Following last April's shootings at Virginia Tech, IS evaluated several mass notification products and determined NTI's service was best for the University, Monday said. "The Connect-ED system provides message delivery tracking and comprehensive reporting that will allow us to assess the effectiveness of our communications. Overall, we believe it offered us the best value while providing us with a high level of service and support."