Purdue among 2022 Best Colleges for LGBTQ+ Students: Campus Pride

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University has been recognized as one of the “Best of the Best” colleges and universities for LGBTQ+ students. With an array of social events, special lectures, supportive resources and a 5-out-of-5-star-ranked LGBTQ Center within the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, Purdue ranks No. 1 in the state and No. 11 in the nation in Campus Pride’s 2022 list of Best Colleges for LGBTQ+ Students.

 The “Best of the Best” recognition places Purdue among a group of 40 leading colleges and universities around the country working to develop innovative resources, opportunities for engagement, academic initiatives and inclusive policies and practices for LGBTQ+ students.

“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 rankings use admissions, enrollment, graduation and loan default rates to measure and compare schools’ academic quality and affordability. Additionally, the Campus Pride Index national rating system uses eight factors to examine and measure schools’ safety and inclusivity. Information about various campus resources and programs available to students of various gender and sexual identities is also included in the rankings. The Campus Pride Index is the definitive national benchmarking tool measuring LGBTQ-friendly policies, programs and practices. To earn a ranking of five out of five 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% or higher. 

Purdue’s LGBTQ Center, one of five cultural centers within the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. Over the past decade, the center has experienced growth in LGBTQ+ community visibility, campus engagement, access to resources, supportive policies and practices, and opportunities to maximize the potential of LGBTQ+ Boilermakers.

"I believe it is important to highlight that these rankings are campuswide achievements, and the LGBTQ Center celebrates the student organizations, campus and community partners, administrators, students, staff, faculty and alumni who have helped Purdue become a national leader,” said Lowell Kane, director of student engagement and belonging and director of the LGBTQ Center. “Purdue is a campus where we can all find community, access resources and feel a true sense of belonging.”

In addition to offering programs for faculty, staff and students, the center plans to relocate and expand its operations this winter. To be located in the Hicks Undergraduate Library, the new center will include quiet study and meeting areas, office space, multipurpose space, a lounge, gallery exhibition space, programming space and a kitchenette.

“With support from campus leadership and participation from many students, the LGBTQ Center has been working for more than a year on our next giant leap: relocating and expanding the LGBTQ Center,” Kane said. “This new center represents an institutional commitment to the persistence and success of LGBTQ+ Boilermakers for generations to come.”

Campus Pride is the leading nonprofit organization for student leaders and campus groups working to create a safer college environment for LGBTQ students.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges. Ranked in each of the last four years as one of the 10 Most Innovative universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://stories.purdue.edu. 

Writer: Carly Rosenberger, rosenbe4@purdue.edu

Source: Lowell Kane, lowell@purdue.edu