case studies marquette university

Keeping students safe is a priority for every study abroad program. Political uprisings, weather events and global crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, require quick action to notify travelers about potential risks — and bring them home if required.

Marquette University deployed Terra Dotta’s AlertTraveler® to do exactly that.

BEFORE TERRA DOTTA:

Delayed Alerts

Marquette’s leaders have always been on top of international events thanks to their insurance provider and medical and travel security services providers.
But each time those resources flagged an international destination where travelers may need help, there was no seamless way to immediately find them and alert them. Marquette’s study abroad team had to:

Match up the students, faculty and staff who may be impacted.
Notify them by email about the danger.

It took time to sort through the emails, and on weekends or when the office was dealing with technology issues, there could be a delay in getting vital information out to those abroad.

Our process was reliant on us seeing the report, matching it up with a traveler and being able to send the email out.

—Karli Webster
Marquette’s associate director and manager of study abroad

WITH TERRA DOTTA:

Immediate Notification

Marquette deployed Terra Dotta’s AlertTraveler, and found it to be a seamless tool that took the pressure off of individuals who were monitoring alerts to track down travelers and contact them.

With AlertTraveler, Marquette gets:

Country Intelligence

Always updated country and city intelligence for travelers before they leave.
Quick-dial emergency services numbers for wherever the traveler is headed.

Real-Time Alerts

Automated notifications to travelers when an emergency pops up where they are located.
Direct access to Terra Dotta’s traveler itinerary details and GPS data to quickly uncover which travelers need help.
Push notifications, emails and SMS text messaging to ensure travelers get the message.

Check-In Button

The ability for study abroad teams to swiftly ask travelers to respond to check-in requests and for students and staff to reply.

AlertTraveler to the Rescue

AlertTraveler has become an important part of Marquette’s quick action to ensure its travelers remain safe.

With AlertTraveler, Marquette :

Tracked down students in London after the 2017 London Bridge attack using the check-in feature.
Swiftly alerted 18 students in Oman to the 2019 attack on two oil tankers on the Gulf of Oman.
Discovered that two students had traveled from South Africa to South Sudan, a hotbed for violence and political upheaval, while checking to see how students were spending their spring break. Administrators were able to contact the students immediately to tell them to return to South Africa.

QUICK COMMUNICATION DURING COVID-19

AlertTraveler also has played a vital role in Marquette’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Confirmed diagnosis
A partner institution couldn’t track down a Marquette student in Greece to let her know that another student in the residence hall had a confirmed case of covid-19. Marquette quickly pulled up her exact location through AlertTraveler.

Italian travelers
Using AlertTraveler’s GPS data, Marquette could pinpoint two students who had traveled in northern Italy just as the outbreak began to sweep across the region. Marquette was able to connect with them to provide support and connect with the partners to determine if they needed to self quarantine.

Supporting the community
Two graduate students had the AlertTraveler app downloaded on their phone because of a previous trip they took with Marquette. This time, they were traveling in Panama but had not registered with the University. AlertTraveler’s location map identified their location, so Marquette could quickly share updates with them about the pandemic.