Kettering U Campus Safety Going High Definition
FLINT -- Kettering University has received a $125,000 donation from Southfield-based Lear Corp. to upgrade existing closed circuit television surveillance on campus with the Avigilon System, a high definition network video management system, as part of its continuing commitment to safety on campus and in the surrounding neighborhood.
The donation supports the technology component of a comprehensive $330,000 Campus Safety initiative that includes renovation of the Campus Safety station in the Campus Center, increased security enforcement and utilization of the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design model of security.
"I am grateful to Lear for their support for the new campus security system. In particular, I want to thank Ray Scott, executive vice president & president of seating operations for Lear, who is also a member of the Kettering University Board of Trustees," said Kettering President Robert K. McMahan. "At Kettering, the safety and security of our students, faculty, and staff are top institutional priorities. We are committed to working in collaboration with our neighbors to improve safety and security for everyone in the Kettering community. When Ray learned of the significant investment by the C.S. Mott Foundation in the University and the work that it was supporting to expand our campus security infrastructure, he wanted to help. He and his team provided critical assistance to us in determining the right approach and the ideal solution for our needs. And Lear's financial investment in Kettering makes it possible for us to implement the perfect system now, without compromise."
Kettering has contracted with the Conti Corp. to install the system, which is designed to augment the university's existing analog camera system with a large number of high-definition, panoramic cameras that will together provide total visibility and coverage of the campus as well as parts of the surrounding community. The cameras will be programmed to record and archive any motion in their field of view.
"The new surveillance solution will provide full coverage of Kettering University's campus with high definition cameras and software that leverages high-definition stream management (HDSM) technology," said Viola Sprague, Kettering vice president of Instructional, Administrative and Information Technology. "Images will be displayed on a video wall to show the campus activity and ensure the campus is safe," she added.
The LEAR donation will also fund the installation of three Avigilon HD Enterprise, 21-terabyte recording servers with 21 days of video retention each, three redundant, hot swappable, server power supplies, an HD 4-monitor and two HD 2-monitor workstations, wall-mounted security monitors and system programming, start-up and testing.
Lear is a supplier of automotive seating and electrical power management systems. The company's world-class products are designed, engineered and manufactured by a diverse team of approximately 113,400 employees located in 36 countries.
Kettering is a nationally ranked science, technology, engineering and mathematics university and a national leader in combining a rigorous academic environment with rich opportunities for experiential learning and cooperative education. For more information, visit www.kettering.edu.
