UVM has been ranked one of the top 19 LGBT-friendly schools nationwide by non-profit organization Campus Pride for its efforts in support of a lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-friendly climate. Out of the 300 schools that participated, a record 19 received the highest possible ranking of five stars, according to University Communications. ?”The rising number of campuses across the nation willing to stand up and speak out for their LGBT students is a testament to the growing recognition that educational environments should be safe and inclusive of all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Shane Windmeyer, Campus Pride executive director and creator of the Campus Climate Index. The campuses include: Carleton College; Humboldt State University; Ithaca College; Oberlin College; Oregon State University; Princeton University; San Diego State University; Syracuse University; The Ohio State University; The Pennsylvania State University; University of California, Berkeley; University of California, Los Angeles; University of California, Riverside; University of Maine, Farmington; University of Oregon; University of Pennsylvania; University of Southern California; University of Vermont; and Washington University in St. Louis “Colleges are ranked from one to five stars, depending on their answers to a detailed, voluntary questionnaire submitted to Campus Pride, a national non-profit working to create safer, more LGBT-inclusive colleges and build future LGBT and ally leaders,” according to University Communications. The Campus Pride LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index lists more than 230 publicly available campus climate reports online at www.campusclimateindex.org.