University of Central Arkansas Selects CriticalArc’s SafeZone to Strengthen Campus Safety, Wellness, Mass Communications

University of Central Arkansas's SafeZone® deployment will modernize emergency communications, enable targeted alerts, and connect UCA to the SafeZone Alliance.

CONWAY, AR, UNITED STATES, May 19, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- CriticalArc today announced that the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) has selected the SafeZone platform to support campus-wide safety, wellness, and mass communications initiatives for its community of more than 10,000 students and approximately 2,500 faculty and staff.

UCA will deploy SafeZone across its Conway campus as part of an initiative led by Chief of Police John Merguie and Deputy Chief Chris Bentley to modernize campus safety operations and enhance emergency communications capabilities. The university is replacing its existing AppArmor platform with SafeZone to gain a more flexible and scalable solution that can better support evolving campus needs.

The SafeZone platform will provide UCA with enhanced mass communications capabilities while also supporting broader wellness and safety initiatives across the institution. UCA also plans to leverage the SafeZone Alliance network, enabling stronger connections and coordination with the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and other participating institutions across the globe.

“Universities today need technology partners that are responsive, innovative, and committed to long-term success,” said Chief John Merguie, Chief of Police at the University of Central Arkansas. “SafeZone gives us a comprehensive, unified platform that can scale with our needs while improving how we communicate with and support our campus community during both everyday operations and critical incidents.”

SafeZone’s configurable platform enables institutions to streamline emergency response coordination, improve situational awareness, and deliver targeted communications during emergencies and operational events. The platform’s flexibility was a key factor in UCA’s decision-making process, particularly as the university sought a solution capable of supporting highly segmented and targeted communications across different user groups within its campus community.

“At UCA, the safety and wellness of our students, faculty, and staff remains a top institutional priority,” said Amy Whitehead, Chief of Staff to the President at the University of Central Arkansas. “SafeZone provides a modern, flexible platform that strengthens how we communicate with and support our campus community while helping us continue to foster an environment where students can thrive.”

The university has already developed an impressively granular communications structure within its campus community, allowing administrators to strategically target alerts, operational messages, and wellness communications to specific audiences based on their roles and needs.

In addition to campus-wide communications and wellness initiatives, UCA also plans to support traveling students through collaboration with the university’s Travel Director, helping extend duty-of-care support beyond campus boundaries.

UCA selected CriticalArc’s SafeZone solution not only for the platform’s capabilities, but also for its collaborative and customer-focused approach to supporting higher education institutions.

“UCA was looking for a solution that could deliver exceptional customer service alongside a highly adaptable technology platform,” said Anne Cynamon, Vice President Higher Education at CriticalArc. “We’re proud to partner with the University of Central Arkansas to help strengthen safety, wellness, and communications across campus. Their strategic approach to targeted communications and community engagement stood out immediately.”

UCA was first introduced to SafeZone through Jason Goodrich, Director of Global Consultancy at CriticalArc, who had previously worked with university police leadership and recognized the platform’s potential to support the institution’s evolving approach to campus safety and wellbeing.

“Having worked alongside campus public safety leaders for many years, it was immediately clear that SafeZone aligned with UCA’s vision for a more connected and responsive safety strategy,” said Jason Goodrich, Director of Global Consultancy at CriticalArc and former U.S. campus police chief. “Their leadership team understood the importance of combining effective mass communications, wellness support, and targeted engagement tools within a platform that can evolve alongside the changing needs of a university community.”

The implementation reflects a growing trend among higher education institutions seeking modern, integrated approaches to campus safety that combine emergency communications, wellbeing support, and operational coordination into a single platform.

SafeZone is used by leading universities, healthcare organizations, and enterprises worldwide to improve safety outcomes, enhance communications, and provide faster access to assistance when needed.

For more information on CriticalArc and SafeZone go to criticalarc.com or email marketing@criticalarc.com.

Sienna Kozin
SafeZone by CriticalArc
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