University officials will send emergency information to cell phones of students, faculty & staff
LEESBURG, VA --[EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION NEWS]-- April 25, 2007 - Omnilert, LLC, maker of a mass notification system for higher education called e2Campus, today announced that Coppin State University (CSU) will boost campus safety with the activation of a new cell phone text alert system by e2Campus. CSU is using the new web-based service to instantly push urgent news and emergency information to the cell phones of students, faculty and staff via Short Message Service (SMS) text messages.
Chief Miriam Wood, CSU's Campus Police Chief said, “We have implemented an Emergency Messaging System via mobile text alerts. It is a convenient system for all Coppin State University staff, faculty and students as they can sign up for SMS alerts with the option to receive simultaneous e-mail notification.”
Andrew Bain, Director of Web and Multimedia Development at CSU explains, “Students may not be on a computer checking email or the Web when an emergency hits. They may not be in their dorm room either. And, students can’t answer a phone call or check voicemail during class. To be able to send SMS text messages to students wherever they are, warning them of emergencies is a real break-through in student communication.”
“We initially purchased e2Campus for weather alerts, but now public safety is front and center. Later, we plan to use it in the marketing department for connecting with prospective students.”
How It Works
When using e2Campus’ centralized interface, a CSU school official types a message, selects the groups to receive the message, and then presses a button to send it. Within seconds, the message is simultaneously sent to thousands of relevant people via the method each recipient chose to receive it, such as a mobile phone (SMS text message), personal or school email account, RSS feed, wireless PDA, relevant school web pages using the automatic Bulletin Board feature, or “My Yahoo”, AOL, or Personalized Google web page.
About Coppin State University
Founded in 1900, Coppin State University is one of 13 campuses that comprise the University System of Maryland. A historically black liberal arts institution, Coppin State University enrolls approximately 4,300 students and offers more than 24 undergraduate majors, 33 minors, and 11 master’s degree programs in high-need areas such as education, nursing, counseling, and criminal justice. Located in the northwest section of Baltimore, the campus has the unique mission of focusing on the problems, needs, and aspirations of residents of Baltimore City and surrounding areas. A fully accredited urban, residential campus, Coppin serves Baltimore residents as well as students from around the world, with flexible course schedules that include convenient day, evening, and weekend classes.
