Ope Oladipo/University Photography

Brian Patchcoski, director of the LGBT Resource Center, speaks at Cornell's 2015 Lavender Graduation Ceremony last May.

For superb support, inclusion policies, counseling and campus safety, Cornell University has been awarded a top-25 spot in the Campus Pride Index – an online tool that allows prospective students and families to learn about LGBTQ-friendly campuses.

“We are delighted to be recognized for our continued commitment to this work on campus,” said Brian J. Patchcoski, associate dean of students and director of the Cornell LGBT Resource Center.

“We are quite proud of our resources and our programming. With new policies, educational opportunities just rolling out on campus from the LGBT Resource Center, we are on the move with enhanced support,” Patchcoski said. “While we are one of the oldest LGBT centers in the country, we still have much to do.”

This year marks an updated version of the index, which is based on research on college policies, programs and practices. For a Top 25 listing, an institution had to score the highest percentages in categories including academic life, housing and residence life, policy inclusion, institutional commitment, counseling and health, as well as recruitment and retention efforts. The 25 colleges are grouped together equally, and they appear on the website in alphabetical order.

For the first time, Cornell will host the 2015 Ivy Q Conference, Nov. 12-15. Additionally, the Cornell LGBT Resource Center has a full slate of fall semester events: LGBTQQIA: Annual Welcome Back Reception (Sept. 16), Bisexuality Awareness Day (Sept. 23), LGBTQ History Month and National Coming Out Day (Oct. 11), Transgender Day of Remembrance (Nov. 20) and World AIDS Day (Dec. 1).

Extensive new programming punctuates this upcoming academic year:

• First Year Queer Connections Group assists students in their transition to college and provides support through social, academic and excursion events.

• Safer People/Safer Places network creates an inclusive environment by reducing heterosexism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and queerphobia.

• The LGBTQ+ Mentorship Program connects Cornell LGBTQ undergraduate students with graduate students on issues of sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

• The Q'Lead: Queer Leadership Program, beginning spring 2016, explores queer identity and developing leadership skills to help participants serve their communities.

• The Peer Educators on Gender and Sexuality program creates panels of LGBTQIA+ students to share stories about their own experiences.

Each year, the LGBT Resource Center hires students to serve as student interns and engages volunteers for the center and the greater Cornell community.