At the University of Chicago, we believe that all students should have access to higher education opportunities no matter their geographic location or ability to pay. UChicago knows that students from rural and small-town contexts bring valuable experiences and viewpoints to a college community, from understanding the strengths and challenges of living in isolated areas to bringing a different understanding of complex political and social issues to the classroom. However, students from rural and small-town communities are often faced with unique social, economic, and cultural barriers to college admissions because of their geographic isolation.
The UChicago Empower access initiative is designed to address the challenges faced by first-generation, low-income, and rural and small-town students. Thanks to a generous donation from the Trott Family Foundation, UChicago created the Emerging Rural Leaders Program in 2018 to reduce the barriers to college that rural students and families face by offering college admissions programming on-campus and in local communities, providing mentoring and support systems for high school students, and updating financial aid policies and scholarships to enable more rural students to pursue higher education at UChicago.
Now the University is taking the next step, co-leading and launching a network of 16 prominent universities and colleges, who are working to open the doors even wider for students who grow up outside the orbit of major cities.
The STARS College Network (Small Town and Rural Students) is a new nationwide effort that aims to empower students from small-town and rural America to enroll and successfully graduate from the undergraduate program of their choice.
“The STARS College Network allows us to work together with our peers to even better reach students and help them to find the best institution for them – whether or not they ultimately choose a STARS member institution,” said James G. Nondorf, vice president for enrollment and student advancement and dean of admissions and financial aid at UChicago. “We are thrilled to join this effort and work toward even greater accessibility for all students.”
By collaborating with STARS College Network members and leveraging existing resources and infrastructure created by the Empower Initiative, STARS at UChicago will enhance and expand the college access work that began with the Emerging Rural Leaders program in 2019.