Improvements to the UM Emergency Alerts system

um-emergency alertUM Emergency Alert Triangle

The Division of Public Safety and Security (DPSS) and Information and Technology Services (ITS) have partnered to improve the UM Emergency Alerts system for all University of Michigan campuses. 

On October 19, the university introduced a new enrollment page, alerts.umich.edu, where students, faculty, and staff can go to verify or update their preferred mobile number to receive UM Emergency Alerts.

Automatic enrollment in text message alerting

Based on feedback from the community, the university has transitioned from a manual to an automatic enrollment process for alerts sent by text message. During the student admissions and staff onboarding processes, students, faculty, and staff provide their mobile phone numbers to the university. The university is now automatically enrolling these mobile numbers to ensure that the greatest number of our community members will be informed during an emergency.  

Verify your mobile number

One of the most important safety measures our community can take is to keep phone numbers updated to receive UM Emergency Alerts. You can now manage your phone numbers enrolled for text message/SMS, including the option to unenroll, at alerts.umich.edu. If you need to return to this page in the future, search for emergency alerts on Wolverine Access or mark the tile as a favorite.

DPSS & ITS partnership

Administered by ITS, the enrollment site provides the same high standard of privacy protections and support as ITS services. ITS will transfer all previously-entered phone numbers and alert preferences to the new system—including mobile numbers previously provided to the university in Employee Self-Service, Student Business, and in Banner.

About UM Emergency Alerts

UM Emergency Alerts are urgent, mass notifications that keep students, faculty, and staff informed about major active emergencies on campus. DPSS uses the system to provide timely and accurate information that empowers you to make critical decisions about your safety during an emergency. 

In addition to text message/SMS alerts, DPSS also sends alerts via email, voice calls, the  U-M Public Safety App, Michigan App, U-M Gateway, DPSS website, Twitter, Facebook, and interior building digital signs. We encourage you to sign up for more than one notification method, such as downloading the U-M Public Safety App and enabling notifications in your phone settings.

Test scheduled for Wednesday, October 21

DPSS and ITS will test the UM Emergency Alert system on Wednesday, Oct. 21 between noon and 2 p.m. The test will be sent through all methods of the alert system. There is no action required. The test will be canceled if the system is activated for a real emergency. The testing will confirm system operations readiness.

Have a question related to UM Emergency Alerts? Contact DPSS Contact UMEAlerts@umich.edu.