Since developed in 2000, the Universal Communication System (UCS) by Twenty First Century Communications has been used by colleges, universities, government agencies, public safety entities, utilities, and other organizations to handle emergency notification needs.

Recent events have shown that college and university leaders need to be prepared, not only to respond to an emergency, but also to handle a crisis in terms of media relations, risk management and continuity of school operations.

Realizing these needs, in 1998 Twenty First Century Communications designed UCS as a powerful and multifunctional system that is simple to use.  Today, over 100 organizations of all sizes use UCS including The Ohio State University.

Campus Connection, powered by UCS, is an alerting module designed specifically for colleges and universities.  Campus Connection can incorporate all methods of alerting including land line phone, cell phone, text message, fax, e-mail and pager. With TFCC's systems, there is no equipment or software to buy, install or maintain.

Included in Campus Connection is an "opt-in" sign up page that be utilized to ensure that colleges and universities have student's cell phone numbers and other devices. The system allows for notification by groups and profiles, replacing calling trees and permitting rapid mobilization of staff, first responders, and public safety personnel.

TFCC's system has the functionality to handle inbound and outbound calls simultaneously, allowing organizations to perform outbound alerts while keeping inbound lines open and available.  This functionality allows the school to receive inbound calls from students, concerned parents and the media, providing them with accurate and up-to-date information.  Colleges and universities can be ensured vital functions within the campus will remain operational, and that students and staff remain safe and informed.

Additional functionality can be critical in emergency.  Using the mapping feature, schools can isolate certain geographical areas notifying only those in that area.  Campus Connection can also be used for non-emergency communications, faculty and staff notification, inbound hotlines, local law enforcement coordination and media relations.

"TFCC has provided crisis notification services to private companies and government agencies for over a decade. It is a sign of the times that colleges must now be prepared to handle events such as that of Virginia Tech on their campuses," says James Kennedy, President of Twenty First Century Communications.

Twenty First Century Communications is a national leader in vendor-hosted communication services, providing a variety of customized, remotely run notification services to colleges, government agencies, public safety entities, utilities, businesses and other organizations using the industry's largest, most reliable telecommunications network. Based in Columbus, Ohio Twenty First Century Communications is a privately held corporation founded in 1989.  All Twenty First Century solutions are backed by our "Relentless Reliability" promise.  TFCC has proven expertise in critical communications during emergency situations.

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