Webber International University Federal Signal Showcase Campus
Webber International University has become Federal Signal’s Florida collegiate community showcase campus to highlight the firm’s comprehensive emergency notification equipment and systems. “Webber demonstrates the scalability of these robust public safety systems. Whether it’s 600 students or 60,000, the need for rapid notification in the event of an emergency is the same. The Webber deployment also demonstrates that no matter how safe you are — and they’re as safe as college campuses get — you still need to think about the unthinkable and have a plan to deal with it,” said John Von Thaden, director of advanced solutions for Federal Signal’s Public Safety Systems Division.
Webber International University President Rex R. Yentes said, “We’re very grateful to Federal. They have installed a great system for us. It’s one of those things you hope you never need, but you’re glad you have just in case. Their timing just couldn’t have been better. We just rolled out degrees in security management. Now we don’t have to take the students on a field trip to show them a state of the art mass notification system.”
“We have been thinking about how we notify our campus quickly in the event of an emergency. With something as critical as emergency notification, you want it done right. I didn’t want to compromise; I wanted Federal Signal. We really knew we needed this, but with continually rising costs and our commitment to keep tuition affordable, I just didn’t know exactly how to pull it off right now,” said University Executive Vice President Keith Wade. “Federal really came to the rescue on this one. They came through not only with a warning siren that can be heard anywhere on our entire campus, but also text, e-mail, and voice notification. While our University president is right about it being of interest to our Security Management majors, our Computer Information Systems majors could learn a lot from this system too. While our one mouse click only sets off one siren, one e-mail notification server and one voice notification server, one could just as easily run a statewide alert with Federal’s sophisticated system.”
Von Thaden added, “Federal has always been involved in protecting communities. Yes, it is nice that folks studying business — including the security side of business – can see Federal’s products up close and personal. But it’s even nicer to know that even though Webber was one of America’s safest campuses before we arrived, it’s a little safer today because of us. We hope they never have to sound the alarm, but, if they do, because it’s a Federal Signal system, they’ll be ready.”
The Codespear-enabled Federal Signal campus alerting and notification solution is part of the Federal Signal Public Safety Systems industry platform.
About Webber International University
Established in 1927 as the first private college chartered under Florida’s then new charitable and educational laws and one of the nation’s first business schools for women, Webber International University now hosts men and women from some 37 different nations. Recognized by the Princeton Review as an “America’s Best Value” and “Best in the Southeast” college, the SACS and IACBE accredited not-for-profit independent University offers degrees exclusively in the areas of business at the associate’s and bachelor’s levels (Accounting, Computer Information Systems Management, Corporate Communications, Finance, Hospitality and Tourism Management, Management, Marketing, Pre-Law, Security Management, and Sport Management) and at the master’s level (MBA, MBA with an emphasis in Accounting, MBA with an emphasis in Security Management, and MBA with an emphasis in Sport Management).
