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NIU named to Campus Pride’s 2022 “Best of the Best” List for LGBTQ+ students

September 14, 2022

NIU again has earned national recognition for its work in creating a safe and welcoming environment for students, faculty and staff. Campus Pride, the preeminent resource for LGBTQ+ leadership development, diversity inclusion and advocacy within higher education, in late August named NIU to its 2022 Best of the Best Colleges and Universities for LGBTQ+ students in the United States.

“Campus Pride created the Best of the Best List to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of these colleges and universities, creating safer, more welcoming campuses for LGBTQ+ people,” said Shane Windmeyer, Campus Pride Executive Director. “Students, prospective students, and their families, along with faculty and staff members, deserve to know whether they will be safe on campus, so they can make the best choices for their own academic success – and by creating inclusive, safe environments these colleges are taking responsibility for all students.”

The list from Campus Pride features 40 four-year campuses from across the country that achieved 5 out of 5 stars on the Campus Pride Index (CPI), the definitive national benchmarking tool measuring LGBTQ-friendly policies, programs, and practices. To earn a ranking of 5 out of 5 stars, campuses receive a percentage score from 90 to 100 based on their LGBTQ-inclusive policies, programs, and practices. The methodology to determine this year’s Best of the Best List was based on an overall score of 93 percent or higher.

“Many members of the NIU community and family brought us to this moment,” said Molly Holmes, Director of the NIU Gender & Sexuality Resource Center. “Our current students motivate, inspire, and trust us to do our best for them and we’re thankful for senior leaders, faculty, and staff who continue to invest in LGBTQ+ lives and livelihood.  This award marks an important moment for us and allows us to remind students, faculty, staff, and alumni of their value to NIU.”

In recent years, NIU has worked to develop policies and programs that address the needs of LGBTQ+ students and increase inclusivity within the NIU community.  Among these efforts are:

  • Developing NIU’s LGBTQ+ residential community
  • Fostering relationships with key partners committed to cultivating Allyship, including additional diversity and cultural centers, NIU Athletics, academic Colleges, Centers, and departments, student leaders and organizations, NIU Public Safety, and community organizations.
  • Continued work on policies and practice for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and guests to identify their sexual orientation and gender identity in campus demographic data collection and reporting
  • University retention priorities that name LGBTQ+ students
  • Well-supported opportunities for faculty to transform pedagogy to be queer and trans-inclusive, and ongoing opportunities for staff and students to be intentional allies in the spheres of influence

“We are honored to receive this distinction,” said Vernese Edgehill-Walden, Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. “We have collectively accomplished a lot and look forward to our continued efforts to ensure our LGBTQ+ Huskies are seen, heard and valued.”

The full list of campuses featured in this year’s Best of the Best are listed in alphabetical order by state and organized according to region.

Mid-Atlantic Region

Towson University, MD

Montclair State University, NJ

Rutgers, NJ

Adelphi University, NY

Ithaca College, NY

Pace University, NY

Lehigh University, PA

Pennsylvania State University, PA

University of Pennsylvania, PA

Midwest

Northern Illinois University, IL

Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL

University of Illinois at Chicago, IL

Indiana University, IN

Purdue University, IN

Kansas State University, KS

Oakland University, MI

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, MI

Macalester College, MN

Minnesota State University-Mankato, MN

University of Nebraska at Kearney, NE

Kent State University, OH

The Ohio State University, OH

University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, WI

University of Wisconsin Green Bay, WI

University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI

New England

Tufts University, MA

University of Massachusetts, MA

University of Vermont, VT

Southeast

University of North Florida, FL

University of Louisville, KY

Elon University, NC

George Mason University, VA

Virginia Wesleyan University, VA

Southwest

Texas Tech University, TX

University of Texas at Dallas, TX

West

San Diego State University, CA

University of Colorado at Boulder, CO

University of Northern Colorado, CO

Southern Oregon University, OR

Washington State University, WA

Campus Pride’s 2022 BEST OF THE BEST Colleges & Universities is online at http://campuspride.org/BestoftheBest.

The Campus Pride Index full listing of LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities is available at https://www.campusprideindex.org/.