It took awhile but it’s good to see that Duke University (where my daughter now attends) has taken a bold step in protecting the safety of its students in the aftermath of last year’s tragic events at Virginia Tech. Following what was an exhaustive study of its own emergency response capabilities, Duke has developed what could be the most pro-active emergency preparedness plan for an academic institution in the country.
Covering every type of emergency from hostage situations to biological terrorist attacks, the Duke plan includes a variety of smart alert features, such as an RSS feed for students and parents, email alerts, a specially designed Web site, a dedicated phone number, a public address system and siren on both campuses. They’ve also included text messaging alerts to cell phones, a tactic I have called for in the past that should be deployed by every school and company in the country. The university is also encouraging students to enroll family members in the school’s emergency database.
While no system can guarantee protection for every student on campus, at least Duke is making a major technology investment to do what it can in a crisis. Other colleges are sure to follow.
The Blue Devils may be top 10 in basketball, but every parent who has a child away at a school would rather have a national ranking in student safety. Duke may just get ranked for their new system.
2 comments ↓
Great post about higher education and emergency notification - two subjects I care deeply about. Does the Duke Emergency Plan outline a plan for natural disasters as well?
An,
According to Duke, the program will eventually cover all types of emergencies, including severe weather events.
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