August 22, 2006

UCSD Named Among 100 Best Campuses for LGBT Students

By Pat JaCoby

UCSD was recognized as one of the 100 best campuses for Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) students in the nation by the new The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students, the first comprehensive LGBT campus guide.

“UCSD's positive environment, programs and services and LGBT student coalitions were cause for the distinction among 680 campuses surveyed,” said Shaun Travers, director of UCSD’s LGBT Resource Center. “Our campus leaders have worked tirelessly to create a positive environment for all of our students, staff and faculty. This distinction emphasizes the importance of providing necessary support to meet all of UCSD’s community’s needs, including our LGBT community.”

The book, released this month, profiles 100 colleges and universities from across the country that offer resources and create a positive living and learning environment for LGBT students. Campus PrideNet, the leading national organization for LGBT and ally student leaders, with support from a team of expert LGBT professionals from the National Consortium of Directors of LGBT Resources in Higher Education, developed the criteria and a questionnaire for nominations to gather feedback from current LGBT students, faculty and staff regarding personal experiences and opinions about their campus.

After receiving nominations from 680 campuses and conducting more than 5,500 online interviews, 100 campuses were selected for the book based on institutional policies, commitment and support, academic life, housing, student life, counseling and health services, campus safety, and recruitment and retention efforts. The list of 100 is broken down in multiple indexes such as region, state, type of institution and size. Individual campus profiles include information on size, tuition, admission application deadlines, gay-affirmative policies, events, LGBT student groups and resources, housing for LGBT students and more.

“The top 100 colleges and universities profiled in The Advocate College Guide lead the way for the rest of higher education to be LGBT-friendly. These campuses take to heart the value of supporting all students… what better way for a campus to come out as LGBT-Friendly?,” said Shane L.Windmeyer, executive director of Campus PrideNet and
author of The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students.

For more information contact the UCSD LGBT Resource Center at (858) 822-3493, rainbow@ucsd.edu, or visit the website.

For more information about Campus PrideNet or to order a copy of The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students, visit http://www.campuspride.net.

Media Contacts:
Shaun Travers, UCSD LGBT Resource Center, 858 822-3493
Pat JaCoby, 858 534-7404