Cornell's ongoing efforts to create an inclusive environment for all students, staff and faculty won recognition from yet another national organization this week when it was named to Campus Pride's "LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index." Campus Pride is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to creating safer lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender friendly environments in higher education.

"Creating, maintaining and improving an environment of inclusiveness and mutual respect is a key mission at Cornell," said Cornell Vice President for Student and Academic Services Susan H. Murphy.

Campus Pride created the LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index in 2001 to help colleges and universities assess policies and practices affecting LGBT students, faculty and staff. The index ranks universities on a scale of one to five stars, with five stars being the highest possible score. Cornell received a ranking of 4.5 stars.

"The LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index is an important tool for colleges and universities to assess and improve their policies, programs and practices for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students," said Shane Windmeyer, executive director of Campus Pride. "We applaud Cornell University for its ongoing efforts to provide an inclusive, safe environment for all students, faculty and staff."

Cornell's inclusion in the national LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index comes on the heels of two other national awards recognizing the university's dedication to diversity. In September, the university was named a "best employer" for both working mothers and for people aged 50 and older by Working Mother Magazine and the American Association of Retired Persons.

For more information about the index and Campus Pride, visit: http://www.campusclimateindex.org/about/default.aspx.