About Us

SINCE 2007, THE CAMPUS PRIDE INDEX HAS BEEN THE PREMIER LGBTQ NATIONAL BENCHMARKING TOOL FOR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES TO CREATE SAFER, MORE INCLUSIVE CAMPUS COMMUNITIES. THE FREE ONLINE TOOL ALLOWS PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS, FAMILIES/PARENTS AND THOSE INTERESTED IN HIGHER EDUCATION TO SEARCH A DATABASE OF LGBTQ-FRIENDLY CAMPUSES WHO HAVE COME OUT TO IMPROVE THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE AND QUALITY OF CAMPUS LIFE.

The Campus Pride Index sets the bar higher for LGBTQ-inclusive policies, programs and practices.

The index is owned and operated by Campus Pride, the leading national nonprofit organization for student leaders and campus groups working to create safer, more LGBTQ-friendly learning environments at colleges and universities. The index is supported under the Campus Pride Q Research Institute for Higher Education as well as benefits from strategic partnerships with professional organizations in higher education and related LGBTQ nonprofit organizations.

Primary Goals

  1. Set forth a national standard of LGBTQ-inclusive benchmarks when it comes to policies, programs, and practices.
  2. Offer an ongoing, effective measurement tool to improve the quality of life for LGBTQ and ally people on campus.
  3. Provide an accessible online tool for prospective students and families to search LGBTQ-friendly campuses.
  4. Support campuses in recruitment and retention efforts for LGBTQ prospective students, faculty and staff.
  5. Advocate nationally for further LGBTQ and ally progress by highlighting positive efforts.

Background

In development since 2001 and launched in 2007, the Campus Pride Index is in response to the increasing demand for tools and resources to support campuses in assessing LGBTQ-friendly policies, programs and practices. The index was developed by Campus Pride with a team of national LGBTQ researchers and has an advisory board, which oversees the future of the index as well as participates in an annual review of the instrument for necessary changes or improvements. This advisory board includes Genny Beemyn, Ph.D, Susan R. Rankin, Ph.D. and Shane L. Windmeyer, M.S, Ed.

Genny Beemyn, Ph.D.

Genny is the director of the Stonewall Center at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, co-chair of the Consortium of Higher Education LGBTQ Resource Professionals, and a board member of the Transgender Law and Policy Institute. Beemyn has published and spoken extensively on transgender college students and trans-inclusive campus policies.

Susan R. Rankin, Ph.D.

Susan is a Research Associate in the Center for the Study of Higher Education and Assistant Professor of Education in the College Student Affairs Program at The Pennsylvania State University. Rankin's current research focuses on the assessment of institutional climate and providing program planners and policy makers with recommended strategies to improve the campus pride for under-served communities. More info online at Rankin Consulting at www.rankin-consulting.com.

Shane L. Windmeyer, M.S., Ed.

Shane is a leading author on gay campus issues, national leader in gay and lesbian civil rights and a champion for LGBTQ issues on college campuses. He is cofounder and executive director of Campus Pride. Windmeyer is also the author of The Advocate College Guide for LGBTQ Students, the first-ever college guide profiling the "100 Best LGBTQ-Friendly Campuses." More info online at www.shanewindmeyer.com.

Philosophy

Every student has the right to a safe learning environment where they can learn, live and grow academically and socially. As a result, campuses have the power and responsibility to enact policies, programs and practices that work to enhance the campus pride for all students -- including LGBTQ and ally students.

Every college and university has the responsibility to make their campus more inclusive, welcoming and respectful for people who are LGBTQ and ally. All campuses participating in the index are acknowledged for their active interest in LGBTQ issues as well as their LGBTQ-friendly efforts to encourage further progress.

Basic Overview of the Tool

The Campus Pride Index is a necessary first step to improve the quality of LGBTQ campus life. It is an effective, ongoing measurement to improve campus LGBTQ policies, programs and practices. The index tool includes 50+ self-assessment questions, which correspond to eight different LGBTQ-friendly factors. Questions were weighted in order to emphasize and add value to specific LGBTQ components which were determined to contribute to a more inclusive, welcoming and respectful LGBTQ and ally campus. All eight LGBTQ-friendly factors receive the same weight in the overall score. Significant testing and analysis went into determining the weights. The eight LGBTQ-friendly factors are, as follows:

  1. LGBTQ Policy Inclusion
  2. LGBTQ Support & Institutional Commitment
  3. LGBTQ Academic Life
  4. LGBTQ Student Life
  5. LGBTQ Housing
  6. LGBTQ Campus Safety
  7. LGBTQ Counseling & Health
  8. LGBTQ Recruitment & Retention Efforts

After completion, the appropriate campus official receives a confidential report of the index tool along with recommendations for improvement and an LGBTQ-friendly rating through the use of a five star scoring system. The five star score is a continuum of progress for inclusive LGBTQ and ally policies, programs, and practices. Three stars represent the mid-range score possible. Public users may search a basic profile with limited results from every campus; however, a campus may also opt out of sharing their information online.

Research Foundation/Testing

The index tool has been tested extensively since 2001 through various national organizations and individual professionals within higher education and/or LGBTQ campus life. In 2015, the index tool was overhauled and updated with a new assessment and higher LGBTQ national standards and benchmarks for inclusion on campus.

Limitations

  1. The Campus Pride Index is NOT a replacement or substitute for campus climate research which examines more holistically campus attitudes/perceptions of LGBTQ and ally campus life.
  2. Any college or university may take part in the assessment, but the scope of the Campus Pride Index deals specifically with the experience of colleges and universities within the United States.