In 2009, Witt Associates was hired by the Virginia Polytechnic and State University (Virginia Tech) to develop protocols for the university’s Emergency Notification System (ENS) and delivered trainings for Senior University leadership and system operators on the protocols. The protocols were requested by Pres. (Dr.) Charles Steger and approved by Virginia Tech’s Safety and Security Policy Committee.

Through this work, Witt Associates helped Virginia Tech to coordinate the university’s multi-channel communication capabilities (including phone alerts, text messages, email, a public address system, classroom signage, desktop pop-up alerts, the vt.edu homepage, and more), which are collectively intended to rapidly disseminate information about an incident to the campus population in Blacksburg, Virginia. The protocols outline the emergency notification process and organization, including authorities to approve notification and crucial “go/no-go” decision points.

Activation protocols for emergency notification systems must satisfy the need to put alerts out quickly, while also making sure that the information is confirmed and that the notification provides meaningful direction to recipients. The Virginia Tech ENS protocols do this in part by pushing notification authority down to the operational field level, and by pre-scripting message templates.

Witt Associates assisted Virginia Tech in bringing its ENS into compliance with the reporting requirements of the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008. All universities will be required to meet these requirements beginning in December 2010. With the help of Witt Associates, Virginia Tech was among the first campuses in the country to formalize its notification protocols in accordance with these new guidelines.