Campus Safety Reports Rank BSU as a Top MD School

Reports Evaluate Federal Crime Data from Hundreds of Colleges & Universities

MEDIA CONTACT: Damita Chambers, dchambers@bowiestate.edu, 301-832-2628 mobile

(BOWIE, Md.) – Reaffirming its commitment to providing a safe campus, Bowie State University ranks as one of Maryland’s safest campuses for the second straight year, based on two recent studies that analyze federal crime data from hundreds of colleges and universities around the country.

Your Guide to the Nation’s Safest College Campuses in 2020 names Bowie State the safest campus in the state, an impressive feat for a university that enrolls more than 6,100 students and houses about 1,600 residential students. The report – compiled by YourLocalSecurity.com, an authorized provider of ADT home security services – uses crime data that the institutions are required to send to the U.S. Department of Education and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). The report reviews the data from the main campuses of public, private and nonprofit colleges and universities that offer two- and four-year degrees and enroll at least 5,000 students. Out of those 435 schools, the study named the safest campus in each state, along with the nation’s 25 safest campuses.

In another study, the 2020 Safest Colleges in America, Bowie State ranks 7^th out of the 13 Maryland institutions evaluated, including several public colleges or universities with an enrollment of fewer than 5,000 students and some schools without residential campus. The National Council for Home Safety and Security reviewed FBI crime data for its ranking, as well as crime data for the area surrounding each campus. The report compares federal crime data from 490 colleges, excluding those with fewer than 1,000 students and others that failed to report significant amounts of data to the FBI. The institutions were then ranked along two key variables: crime rate and police adequacy.

Parents rank safety as a top factor in evaluating a campus environment, and the award-winning Bowie State University Public Safety Department employs strategies incorporating the latest thinking in campus policing and security.

“Bowie State has developed a comprehensive public safety program to include police, security service, security technologies, emergency preparedness and Clery Act reporting, which provides the overarching framework,” said BSU Police Chief Ernest Waiters. “The program establishes the foundation of how we safeguard the campus community.”

Chief Waiters said that the Public Safety Department uses a holistic approach that seeks to engage, educate and inform the campus community. The department’s community-oriented policing program empowers officers to work with students, faculty and staff to identify issues that affect the welfare of the campus community and develop strategies to address these concerns.

In addition, Public Safety has enhanced its security technologies, including adding CCTV cameras, panic alarm devices, perimeter security gates and social medial monitoring. The Emergency Preparedness Program features the Bowie Emergency Electronic System (BEES), which allows the university to communicate emergency announcements to the campus community through cell phones and computer monitor alerts.

The university also promotes overall student health and wellness through programs and activities, sponsored by the Henry Wise Wellness Center, Counseling Services Center, Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug Prevention Center and Recreation and Intramural Program.

“I am glad that Bowie State has been singled out to receive this recognition because it shows that we are on the right track in safeguarding our campus community,” said Chief Waiters.

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About Bowie State University
Bowie State University (BSU) is an important higher education access portal for qualified persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, seeking a high-quality and affordable public comprehensive university. The university places special emphasis on the science, technology, cybersecurity, teacher education, business, and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal arts education. For more information about BSU, visit www.bowiestate.edu.