Contact: Maridith Geuder
STARKVILLE, Miss.--In seeking a new vendor to deliver emergency text messages, Mississippi State currently is testing the capabilities of two companies.
Though it has more than 13,000 individuals enrolled to receive emergency notifications by text messages, the university has been told by most vendors that existing technologies cannot assure speedy and reliable delivery, said Mike Rackley, head of the campus' information technology services.
One other system will be tested over the next few days, he added.
"We consider text messaging just one component of a much larger communication effort that also includes e-mail, instant messaging, Web announcements, public address systems, and disseminating information through the media," Rackley explained. "Collectively, we refer to these communication channels as 'Maroon Alert.'"
In addition to researching emergency text messaging options available through a range of national vendors, Rackley has been communicating with counterparts at other universities that currently use the services.
"All have emphasized that text-messaging cannot be viewed as an immediate and completely reliable means of emergency communication," he observed. "Obviously, we want to identify the best system possible for Mississippi State."
Mississippi State's Maroon Alert system is implemented in the event of a campus crisis that poses danger for students, faculty and staff.
Additional information about Maroon Alert may be read at http://www.emergency.msstate.edu/.