These are top colleges for campus safety, says think tank
A small and little-known think tank in Denton, Texas, called Academic Influence says it used computer programs with machine learning to scrape crime data from the internet, then rank what it says are the nation’s top 15 safest college campuses.
Academic Influence says the rankings included only those institutions of higher learning that can deliver a high-quality education. Warning: Some experts on campus security differ with these rankings. The goal for publishing them? To get parents and students thinking about campus safety and reviewing data about campus crime as well as the steps that colleges have taken to safeguard their students and staff. The schools and their rankings are listed here, with the only Michigan university in bold-face type:
Purdue University
University of Idaho
Brigham Young University - Idaho
Bridgewater State University
University of Massachusetts
Utah State University
California State University
Northern Kentucky University
Princeton University
Tufts University
Boston College
Virginia Tech
University of Rhode Island
University of New Hampshire
Here are safety rankings of nine colleges in Michigan, also generated by computer programs at Academic Influence, a Texas-based think tank. Academic Influence says it assessed hundreds of colleges and universities nationwide, using past crime statistics, the extent of on-campus safety resources, each institution's compliance with safety protocols, and student reported data.
More: Oakland University ranked 7th safest college campus in US
1. Oakland University; 2. Lawrence Technological University; 3. Wayne State University; 4. Central Michigan University; 5. University of Michigan; 6. Lake Superior State University; 7. Western Michigan University; 8. Michigan State University; 9. Eastern Michigan University.
Contact Bill Laytner: blaitner@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Could Purdue be nation's 'safest' college? Where does Oakland U fit?
