WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Oct. 9, 2019 — West Liberty University has the safest campus in West Virginia, according to the rankings for 2020 compiled by the website, niche.com.

“This is great news that we are pleased to share with the community,” said President Stephen Greiner. “Our campus police maintain a high level of safety awareness and inter-agency cooperation that results in a secure environment for our employees and students. I am grateful for their work.”

WLU moved up one spot from last year to achieve the #1 ranking.

West Liberty Campus Police are led by Chief Joseph Montemurro, who also is the director of Public Safety.

“The safety of students and the entire campus community is everyone’s top priority here at West Liberty,” Montemurro said. Campus police includes seven full-time officers and 10 part-time.

“We are more visible in the region now that we are fully staffed and our response time has gone up, both good things for campus. We continue to work closely with the Ohio County Sheriff’s Office and all area first responders in our region,” Montemurro said.

The police also work closely with campus housing and residence life staff to identify and address problem behavior.

According to the Executive Director of Housing and Student Life Marcella Snyder, the annual security report (published every October) is available online. This document outlines safety procedures and resources as well as statistics for the public to review.

“Additional information on safety for members of the community can be found on the home page at westliberty.edu. We are very serious about safety and I think it shows. I’m grateful for all the diligent work provided daily by our Resident Assistants, Hall Directors, Graduate Assistants and everyone that works in the Office of Student Life,” she said.

According to Niche, 2020 Safest College Campuses ranking is based on key statistics and student reviews using data from the U.S. Department of Education. Top-ranked colleges offer a safe and healthy environment for little or no campus crime, drugs, or alcohol usage.