Alva Review-Courier -

Northwestern Oklahoma State University has been recognized by Backgroundchecks.org as being among the safest colleges in Oklahoma for 2016.

According to the website, Northwestern was ranked as the 12th safest college among all public and private higher education institutions in the state. The ranking is based on campus crime statistics reported annually by institutions. Federal law requires annual reporting to the Department of Education. Rankings were determined based on the number of crimes per 1,000 residents.

“We consider Northwestern to have safe campuses and the statistics bear that out,” Dr. Janet Cunningham, university president, said. “First and foremost, we have great students, but our Campus Police and staff in Student Services do a wonderful job of communicating with students in efforts to prevent unlawful activity, plus take swift and appropriate action when it does occur.

“Northwestern also has invested in student safety by installing security cameras inside and outside of campus buildings, and establishing a campus tip line where students and employees can report suspicious activity or provide information on possible crimes. These actions have proven to be effective deterrent.”