From campus safety and health services to women in leadership, student organizations, and career pathways, discover the opportunities and support available to women at Wayne State College.
Wayne State College is among Newsweek and Gender Fair’s America’s Best Colleges for Women 2026. In the inaugural ranking, Wayne State earned a Safety Score of 97, its highest score across the four categories.
The national ranking evaluates colleges as places for women to study and work, considering leadership, pay and policies, safety, and opportunity. It draws on federal education and campus crime data, supplemented by additional research. At Wayne State today, women lead the institution, pursue careers through scholarship and professional school pathways, and build connections through sororities, athletics, and campus organizations.
Campus safety and support in Wayne
Newsweek’s safety category evaluates federal data on reported crimes against women and reported hate crimes.
Separately, in Wayne State’s analysis of 2025 statistics, the college had the lowest combined rate of reported on-campus crime among the six Nebraska public colleges and universities compared, at 1.08 per 1,000 students.
Wayne State’s campus safety services include safety escorts for walks across campus and free late-night rides within Wayne through Wildcat Wheels on select evenings during the academic year. Support extends beyond getting home safely. Women at Wayne State can also turn to health care, confidential counseling, and other services on campus and in the surrounding community.
Through Student Health, students can arrange appointments at Midtown Health’s monthly reproductive health clinic during the academic year. Services include birth control, pregnancy testing, Pap smears, breast exams, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections. Student Health also provides care for minor illnesses and injuries and referrals for additional treatment. Providence Medical Center in Wayne offers access to OB-GYN and other women’s health services.
Students managing stress, relationship concerns, grief, or the adjustment to college can access free, confidential counseling services from licensed counselors. The counseling staff also provides education on healthy relationships, boundaries, and coping skills.
Students who experience sexual misconduct can find support and information about reporting options through Wayne State’s Title IX resources. Campus counselors provide a place to discuss concerns confidentially, while Haven House in Wayne offers advocacy and services for people affected by domestic violence or sexual assault.
Wayne State’s student support services also address everyday needs. Private lactation rooms are available on campus for students who are breastfeeding or pumping. The Student Food Pantry serves enrolled students living on or off campus, Disability Services helps students request accommodations, and the Academic and Career Success Center offers advising, tutoring, writing support, and career preparation.
Finding community and building leadership experience
Women at Wayne State have opportunities to find their people, and help create a place for others. For students who wanted a sorority with Latina roots, that meant three years of work to bring their vision to campus. Through the SIRI Multicultural Sorority Interest Group, and with guidance from their advisor, they built a community that would give more women opportunities to connect, serve, and lead.
Their work culminated in September 2026, when the founding members of Lambda Theta Nu Sorority, Inc.’s Alpha Omega Chapter were introduced at the Willow Bowl. The national sorority welcomes women of all backgrounds and emphasizes academic excellence, community service, and lifelong sisterhood. For the students who helped establish the chapter, those connections also came with experience turning a shared ambition into something future Wayne State students could join.
“I could not be prouder of what they have accomplished or more excited for what lies ahead,” said Miguel Baeza Aguilera, a former WSC assistant director of admissions who advised the group.
That same opportunity to connect extends across Wayne State’s more than 100 student clubs and organizations. Students can represent their classmates in Student Senate, plan campus events, explore photography, perform on stage, compete in speech, prepare for a career, or advocate for a cause they care about. Cultural organizations, service groups, sororities, and recreational clubs offer ways to meet people while contributing something of their own.
Community takes shape in the stands and on the court, too, with Wildcat volleyball bringing students and the Wayne community together to cheer on the 'Cats. A wide range of club sports also provides more opportunities for women to compete, build friendships, and wear the black and gold. From women’s wrestling and softball to archery and rugby, students can find teammates, test their skills, and pursue a sport they love.
Students can also team up with friends or enter individually in intramural sports, with nearly 40 events throughout the year. From sand volleyball and pickleball to bowling and cornhole, intramurals welcome students of all skill levels for friendly competition, new connections, and a shot at campus bragging rights.
Whether they’re organizing a service project, leading a student organization, or encouraging a new teammate, women at Wayne State can build confidence and leadership experience while making the campus their own.
Women leading across campus
Women’s leadership at Wayne State extends from student organizations to the president’s office. Dr. Marysz Rames has served as president since 2015, and women hold leadership roles across the college, including academic departments, administrative offices, and student services.
Newsweek’s leadership category focuses primarily on women’s representation among professors, associate professors, and assistant professors. It also considers whether a woman leads the institution.
Women represented approximately 44% of Wayne State’s full-time instructional faculty in fall 2024, according to IPEDS, the federal education database used in Newsweek’s ranking. They held 20 professor positions, 13 associate professor positions, and 13 assistant professor positions. Through teaching, mentoring, and academic leadership, women help shape students’ education and provide visible examples of careers they can pursue.
Recognized programs and pathways to career success
Women pursuing their ambitions at Wayne State can choose from more than 130 undergraduate programs of study, with opportunities to gain professional experience before graduation. The college’s academic honors and program recognitions span business, family and consumer sciences, criminal justice, teacher education, health sciences, and other fields, giving students a range of recognized programs to explore.
Choosing a career path also means figuring out how to pay for the education it requires. Scholarships and grants help put those possibilities within reach at Wayne State. In the 2024–25 aid year, 83% of Wayne State’s degree-seeking undergraduates received grant or scholarship aid, averaging $8,515 per recipient. Approximately 37% received a federal Pell Grant. Pell Grant participation is one of the measures included in Newsweek’s opportunity category.
Alongside financial support, students can find opportunities to put their education into practice while completing their degrees. Future teachers, for example, gain at least 100 hours of classroom field experience before student teaching. Students can take that preparation further through the Northeast Nebraska Teacher Academy (NENTA), earning pay as substitute teachers while completing their degrees. Faculty guidance and ongoing training help participants develop classroom confidence and professional connections.
For women from rural Nebraska who want to pursue health care or law, Wayne State offers scholarship pathways into professional school. The Rural Health Opportunities Program (RHOP) provides selected students with a full-tuition scholarship at Wayne State, specialized advising, and guaranteed admission to a participating program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center when they meet program requirements.
The Rural Law Opportunities Program (RLOP) combines a full-tuition scholarship at Wayne State with mentoring, a rural internship, and presumptive admission to the University of Nebraska College of Law for participants who meet its requirements. Students can choose an undergraduate major that matches their interests while developing the writing, research, and analytical skills needed for law school.
Women pursuing business, communication, criminal justice, information technology, and industrial technology can also apply for the Career Scholars Program. The program combines scholarships with a paid senior-year work experience, allowing participants to earn college credit, develop professional connections, and put their education to work with an employer.
For women considering Wayne State College, a campus visit offers a chance to meet faculty, ask students about campus life, and learn where to find support. Families can schedule a campus visit to see these opportunities firsthand.