UC named safest college campus in Kentucky, fourth safest in country

The University of the Cumberlands has been named the safest college campus in Kentucky and the fourth safest campus in the nation, according to a new report released by safety experts at Your Local Security.

Analysts calculated several campus safety factors including hate crime, property crime, violent crime and violence against women to determine the rankings.

“We do all we can to take care of our students in every way, from academic resources to sufficient housing options to hosting fun events, but that really is what matters most: the fact that our students are safe. That they can walk around campus, go to class and live their lives knowing they are safe here. This is their home,” said Dr. Emily Coleman, Vice President of Student Services.

The data used for this report was provided by studies from the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security analysis and the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report. It looked at the main campuses of public, private, and non-profit colleges that offer two- and four-year degrees and have at least 5,000 students. Schools with insufficient data (Alaska, Hawaii, North Carolina, and Wyoming) weren’t included in this report. 435 total schools met the required criteria for this study,

“As a growing college, University of the Cumberlands has maintained an excellent record of campus safety, even though its 2018 enrollment topped over 10,000 students. While a majority of students come from the Appalachian region, the school has a strong commitment to diversifying the student body by offering online courses to international applicants,” the report stated.

In May 2018, Cumberlands signed an agreement with the Williamsburg Police Department (WPD) allowing police officers to be stationed on Cumberlands’ campus to act as school resource officers for the University, in addition to the school’s Department of Safety and Security.

“We are grateful for law enforcement officers to assist with security here on campus,” Dr. Larry Cockrum, University President said in the May report. “We have fully equipped and capable security personnel already on campus, ready to help in any situation, and the addition of these WPD officers is only going to improve the safety and security of students here at UC.”

The officers on campus are full-fledged members of the police department and receive the same training as all other officers. The school resource officers alternate first, second and third shifts, meaning that at least one officer is on Cumberlands’ campus at all times, even throughout the summer.

The officers typically spend much of their time on foot inside the University’s many administrative and educational buildings.