Case Study: Virginia Commonwealth University achieves reliable, campus-wide emergency notification with Alertus Technologies

Filling The Communication Gap When Sending Emergency Alerts

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), an urban campus of 32,436 students with 201 buildings spread over 140.6 acres in Richmond, VA, faced growing on‑campus safety threats that revealed the limits of SMS and digital signage: low opt‑in rates, cellular congestion and poor reception left large portions of the campus unreachable. To close those gaps VCU turned to Alertus Technologies, deploying Alertus Alert Beacons and the Alertus Digital Signage Override to supplement existing notifications.

Alertus Technologies installed wall‑mounted Alert Beacons in every classroom and public meeting space and integrated the system with VCU’s e2Campus SMS console for one‑click activation that simultaneously triggers beacons, SMS and signage overrides. The result is reliable, campus‑wide reach — across all 201 buildings and 140.6 acres — including basements and classrooms where SMS often fails, faster emergency activation by police and communications staff, and demonstrable peace of mind for the university community.

Virginia Commonwealth University

Sam Kennedy

Assistant Director