Four Minnesota schools were recently placed on the annual 2014 CampusPride top-50 list of LGBT-friendly colleges and universities. Augsburg College, Macalester College, and both University of Minnesota campuses in Duluth and the Twin Cities, were all ranked as 5-star schools.
Schools listed are recognized for their efforts to improve the campus environment for students, particularly in terms of academics and social safety.
Augsburg College provides advising and advocacy for students who identify as LGBTQ, such as opportunities for student leadership, and a handful of all-gender bathrooms, amongst other work.
“We’re grateful for this type of recognition, but a lot of credit belongs to our students for leading boldly…individually and as groups,” said Stephanie Weiss, a spokesperson for Augsburg College.
The top-50 schools must earn 5 stars in each of eight categories: policy inclusion, support and institutional commitment, academic life, student life, housing and residence life, campus safety, counseling and health, and recruitment and retention efforts.
According to CampusPride, the list can serve as an important learning resources for other institutions attempting to become more inclusive of LGBT communities, as well as other organizations. This is the first year CampusPride has been able to place 50 schools on their annual list; in years past they have released only a top-25 list.
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