1. Copyright Jill M. Forrester 2008. This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non- commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.

2. Emergency Notification Systems: You’ve purchased an ENS, now what? Educause 2008 Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference Jill M. Forrester Director, Institutional Systems Bill Spolitback Associate Director, Institutional Systems Dickinson College

3. Overview Project History Implementation Results Lessons Learned Next Steps Things to consider Questions

4. About Dickinson College 4-year, private liberal arts college Students: 2,400 Faculty: 230 Employees: 524 full-time 89 part-time

5. Project History Summer 2006 – Emergency Response Committee established. Summer 2007 – Emergency Notification System purchased. (3N – National Notification Network) Hosted solution Individual is required to register using 3N web site Capability to notify members using several communication methods Individual can set communication method “priorities”

6. Project History (continued) We purchased an ENS, now what? Fall 2007 – ENS implemented. October 2007 – Dickinson Red Alert launched. December 2007 – First use of system for weather emergency.

7. Our Goal Implement the Dickinson Red Alert system Need a functional system immediately (within one month) Need a high participation rate Need accurate data in system

8. Our Questions What data do we need to collect from individuals? Will we pre-populate the ENS with our campus data? Will the ENS cause data integrity issues with our current ERP system? Can we store this information in our ERP system as well as the ENS? How will we remind individuals to update their information? How will we encourage participation?

9. Our Approach 3 Phase Implementation Plan Phase I – Basic Data Transfer and Disparate System Access Phase II – Enhanced Information Collection Phase III – Real-Time Data Transfer and Integrated System Access

10. Our Approach Phase I – Basic Data Transfer and Disparate System Access Rendered the system functional very rapidly Pre-populated the ENS with data from our ERP system (Name, Department, Hall Info, Email Address). Used 3n Member Manager administrative tool to add and remove individuals from ENS. Launched ENS to campus community Individuals had to create member accounts on 3N web site Individuals have to maintain their contact information through the 3N web site as well as in the college’s ERP system. FAQ web site Portal channel to access 3N web site

11. Our Approach Phase II – Enhanced Information Collection Store emergency contact information in ERP system Individual can update emergency contact information via portal channel at any time Collect contact information using a login-interrupt through the college’s portal Directs individual to emergency contact information data collection page Individuals can opt-out if desired Public Safety can “remind” individuals to update their information Encourages participation in the notification service Upload data to ENS vendor daily

12. Our Approach Phase III – Real-Time Data Transfer and Integrated System Access Utilize the ENS vendor provided API to transfer data in real-time All updates are sent real-time to the ENS vendor and the college’s ERP system Individuals can update emergency contact information at any time via portal channel Individuals can opt-out of the notification service Individuals are reminded periodically to update emergency contact information via login-interrupt

13. Our Results October 2007 – Dickinson Red Alert launched Student and employee participation continues to increase… Employees TypePercentage Faculty57% Administrators88% Staff66% All Employees70% Students ClassPercentage 201158% 201052% 200947% 200846% All Students50%

14. Results - Continued December 2007 – First use of system for weather emergency Statistics for Snow and Ice Event – December 13 th 2007 Notifications Sent3305 Notifications Confirmed1301 Unconfirmed Notifications1920 Unreachable Members82

15. Lessons Learned Communication is key! ENS Implementation Technology, Public Safety, Human Resources, Student Life, and Vendor ENS Launch Don’t depend on vendor provided end-user instructions Stress the importance of the notification service to the community members Provide institution specific FAQsFAQs

16. Lessons Learned Communication is key! ENS Support and Improvement Track your participation rate Remind individuals to update their contact information Provide opportunity for multiple subscription drives Expect a subscription surge after an emergency event

17. What’s Next February 2008: Phase II – Enhanced Information Collection June 2008: Phase III – Real-Time Data Transfer and Integrated System Access

18. Thinking of purchasing an ENS? Things to consider For which portion of your campus population are you considering providing this service? How do camps, special groups, or the childcare center for example fit into the mix and how will this affect your requirements of the prospective system? What emergency contact info are you already capturing? How will this info reconcile with each prospective tool? Remember: requiring your user base to update info in multiple places or loosing previously existing capabilities may be detrimental to participation rates.

19. Things to consider - continued What is the vendor’s change management procedure and service commitment? If you find an inconsistency, how quickly will you be able to have it fixed? Really understand this one! The obvious stuff: compatibility with your institution’s existing systems and technical skills set, availability of APIs for extensibility, well developed user interface and documentation.

20. Open to the Floor Questions Comments For more information contact Jill Forrester (forrestj@dickinson.edu)forrestj@dickinson.edu Bill Spolitback (spolitbb@dickinson.edu)spolitbb@dickinson.edu