Purdue University deemed safest campus in the country by Academic Influence

Purdue University is celebrating its success in having the safest college campus in the country in its West Lafayette campus. The rankings were released by analytics group Academic Influence, which took into account several factors when creating its list, including crime statistics in the area, prevalence of emergency phones, shuttle services, and compliance with the Clery Act, which provides crime statistic information to students.

According to an article on Purdue University’s website, Mung Chiang, the university’s president, was quoted as saying of the accomplishment, “Safety is always the top priority at Purdue. We thank the outstanding work 24/7 by the professional colleagues and appreciate the safety mindset of over 60,000 members of the West Lafayette campus. This ranking is another reflection of our continued focus on safety.”

Jay Wasson, who serves as the vice president for physical facilities and public safety, echoed Chiang’s sentiments, saying, “Purdue is committed to providing a safe campus environment for our students, faculty, staff and visitors. Our public safety staff — including the police department, fire department and office of emergency preparedness — work tirelessly with our campus partners to meet the safety needs of the campus community.”

Wasson points to the Purdue University Police Department as having a big impact on the campus’ safety. The campus has a number of safety amenities and initiative thanks to the police department, including a Safe Walk program, verbal de-escalation training, and a log of crime reports that is always available to be viewed on its website. 

Other factors that played into Purdue University’s number-one safest campus ranking include mental health services being available on campus, 300 emergency telephones being stationed around the school, and the availability of safe public transportation.

The National Center for Education Statistics states that crime on college campuses has been steadily decreasing for the past decade. Campuses can further reduce crimes and become even safer by implementing safety features and initiatives like Purdue University has been doing.

The top five safest campuses in the country, according to Academic Influence, are Purdue University, The University of Idaho, Brigham Young University-Idaho, Bridgewater State University, and The University of Massachusetts.

For more information about Purdue University, visit the school’s website.