MSU rated one of the safest campuses in U.S.
Morehead State University has been ranked 18th in the 2018 Safest College Campuses in the U.S., which is compiled by the National Council for Home Safety and Security.
“We are very pleased,” said Russ Mast, interim vice president for student success. “MSU Police Chief Merrell J. Harrison and his entire staff should be commended for the great job they are doing.”
According to the NCHSS, “For parents sending their children off to college, safety is usually the number one concern. It is often the first time that kids are off on their own, living independently outside of the home. Choosing a school with a solid reputation for security and low potential for dangerous threats allows moms and dads to breathe easier once their kids ship off to earn a higher education.”
The ranking was created by using the most recent data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting and the Campus Safety Security Survey from by the U.S. Department of Education. Nearly all accredited institutions were considered in this project.
The highest ranked university campuses boast low total campus and local area crime. University campuses with a significant lack of reported data were excluded, as well as all non-accredited universities offering 4-year degrees.
Each school’s safety score was calculated by analyzing crimes reported by universities including rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, motor vehicle theft and arsons. Also factoring into the safety score were violent and property crime rates for the cities in which the schools were located and the number of law enforcement officers employed by the institution per 1,000 residents.
“Our whole unit works hard every day to keep Morehead State safe,” said Harrison. “We are very proud of this accomplishment. We have great support from the MSU administration and it shows in a ranking like this.”
The number of law enforcement officers employed by the university at a particular campus was also a factor in the ranking.
MSUPD is accredited by the Kentucky Association of Chiefs of Police and has 15 full-time officers and seven support staff.
For more information on the ranking, visit https://www.alarms.org/safest-college-campuses-in-america-2018.
Additional information is available by calling the MSUPD at 606-783-2035 or visit www.moreheadstate.edu/police.
