UNG ranks No. 4 on most secure college campuses list

The University of North Georgia (UNG) ranked No. 4 nationally on the "100 Most Secure College Campuses in the U.S." list released by ASecureLife.com.

UNG ranked the highest of all Georgia schools on the list, with Kennesaw State University checking in at No. 14, Savannah College of Art and Design at No. 25, Georgia State University at No. 39 and Georgia Southern University at No. 90.

"It's an honor and a privilege to receive this ranking. While it is the university police department's full-time duty to protect, serve and educate, this accomplishment could not be achieved solely by the efforts of our department," UNG Police Chief Justin Gaines said. "The entire university community is to thank for achieving this distinction as it is a testament to the collaboration and partnership between the dedicated professionals with our university police department and Nighthawk Nation."

ASecureLife.com analyzed 10 years of crime data for hundreds of public and nonprofit colleges with a focus on four-year institutions that offer student housing and have an average yearly enrollment of 10,000 students or more.

ASecureLife.com has researched and reviewed the security industry since 2008.

"College is an exciting time, and students shouldn't worry about property crime or dorm break-ins while studying for classes," said Maru Quevedo, site manager at ASecureLife.com. "Our team wanted to applaud and recognize the colleges that ranked among the top 100 most secure because they stand out and are taking actionable measures to protect students on campus."

UNG students, faculty, staff or visitors can ask a friend or even the campus police to watch them walk to their cars or buildings with LiveSafe, the public safety app that launched in summer 2018 at the university and was recently incorporated into the main UNG app.

Once they download the app or open it within the UNG app, they can use its different options. Along with the SafeWalk button, others appear on the screen. "Report suspicious activity" and "report incident" buttons allow users to share information with UNG's public safety department. For example, if a faculty or staff member sees a light out in the parking lot or is concerned about a person walking across campus at night alone, he or she can alert public safety.

"Emergency options" allows the user to interact with campus police or local emergency services. The app comes in handy especially in an emergency. It not only sends out alerts, it can specify a particular area under threat.

In 2015, UNG was ranked the safest school in Georgia and 53rd safest in the nation in the Niche Safest Campus Ranking.