How do we compare to other colleges and universities?

Besides the publication of new college guides for LGBT students and their parents, a new tool has been created that helps students understand the atmosphere on a particular campus for LGBT students and allows colleges and universities a chance to see how they measure up with others in providing a welcoming and supportive climate for this population.

The Campus Climate Index, developed by Campus Pride in coordination with leaders in the field of LGBT affairs in higher education, allows a campus official to provide feedback about a range of policies, programs and services that affect the climate for LGBT students at their institution. While a report with recommendations is then sent to the campus official, general information for each campus that participates in the questionnaire is made available on the Campus Climate Index website *unless the campus opts out of having this information public.

Approximately 100 campuses have responded so far, and those who have been rated with 3 stars or higher are recognized on the "Honor Roll." The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is among those schools on the Honor Roll.

Still, you may ask, how do we compare to other colleges and universities?

Texas:
University of Texas at Austin - 3.5 stars
University of North Texas - 3 stars
University of Texas - Pan American - 2 stars
Texas State University - San Marcos - 3 stars

Aspirational Peers:
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee - 3.5 stars

Out-of-State Peers:
Boise State University - 3 stars
Eastern Michigan University - 4.5 stars

The aspirational and out-of-state peers were determined by the information sheet available from the UTSA Institutional Research website.

It appears that UTSA is on par with other Texas schools but does not stand out among its peers. Some Allies have seen the brief article on the Chronicle of Higher Education's website on September 25, 2007, and came to that conclusion while pointing out that we still have work to do so that we can get to the 5 stars.