| Virginia Tech signs up with 3n
The new emergency notification system, along with existing communications vehicles long used by the university, will form the basis of ‘VT Alerts,’ a fully integrated and coordinated emergency communications program maintained by Virginia Tech's Office of University Relations. The expanded VT Alerts system will debut July 2; students, faculty, and staff will be able to sign up for several new 3n-enabled emergency notification options beginning that day. The expanded VT Alerts system will be fully operational by Aug. 20, the first day of fall classes. 3n's technology will enable the university to send messages to students, faculty, and staff using methods and media not maintained by the university, such as text messages to personal cell phones, instant messages via systems maintained by America Online (AOL), Yahoo, or MSN, and phone calls and e-mails to numbers and mailboxes that reside outside the university's network. In addition, the system will allow subscribers to list contacts for parents, spouses, or other individuals among their contact preferences. Currently, the university has several communications tools to reach students, faculty, and staff, including the heavily used university homepage, the Virginia Tech News website, broadcast e-mail alerts, broadcast voice-mail messages, a recorded emergency hotline (231-6668), the university switchboard, and a coordinated use of public media outlets. "We began the process of adding to and enhancing our already robust emergency notification system last fall, and we were in the final stages of selecting a vendor when the tragic events of April 16 occurred," said Larry Hincker, associate vice president for university relations. "The 3n InstaCom Campus Alert system is a sophisticated tool that is easy to use. I believe it can only further benefit our students, faculty, and staff." "At any level of the educational hierarchy, safety is the top priority. 3n is proud to partner with Virginia Tech to ensure the well-being of the university's students, faculty and staff by providing a modernized mass notification approach," said Cinta Putra, CEO and co-founder of 3n. "We are looking forward to a successful and growing relationship with Virginia Tech in which we will provide the university with the essential communication tools to handle any crisis situation that may arise in the future."
•Date: 22nd June 2007 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: Crisis communications
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