A national organization that works to create a safer environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning students has ranked Ithaca College among the top 25 colleges and universities in the nation for being LGBTQ inclusive. The rankings by Campus Pride are based on a set of benchmarks that it uses to create an index assessing an institution’s LGBTQ-friendly policies, programs and practices.
This marks the eighth consecutive year that IC has achieved the highest five-star rating on the Campus Pride Index. Luca Maurer, program director of the college’s Center for LGBT Education, Outreach and Services, says the ranking reflects the work the center is doing for LGBTQ students to reduce social isolation and increase connectedness to the campus community, which helps to increase their academic success.
“This work is founded upon creating and holding a place for people to form relationships with each other and build meaningful community and a sense of belonging, while treating each individual LGBTQ person with dignity and respect, and as a person of worth,” said Maurer. “I look forward to continuing this work together with students, staff, faculty and alumni, to create a campus that is inclusive, welcoming and affirming, and the optimum learning environment for every student.”
In order to be in the top 25 listing, an institution had to score the highest percentages in the LGBTQ-friendly benchmarks. Other institutions in the ranking include Princeton, Penn, Ohio State, the University of Oregon and Indiana University.
“LGBTQ youth and families today want to know what campuses are doing when it comes to inclusive policies, programs and practices,” said Shane Windmeyer, executive director of Campus Pride. “These are the campuses leading the way for LGBTQ inclusion and who have come out to support LGBTQ students from the first day of classes through graduation day.”
For more information on Campus Pride, visit campuspride.org. For more information on the Ithaca College LGBT Center, visit ithaca.edu/lgbt.