Students in small towns and rural communities across America graduate high school at roughly the same rate as students in metro areas, but they are only half as likely to graduate from a selective college or university. Because of distance and cost, college admissions offices aren’t as present in small towns and rural communities, and students in those areas are less likely to receive admissions and financial aid information or attend recruitment events on campuses.
To address these challenges, The University of Texas at Austin has joined the STARS College Network, which partners with top colleges to ensure that students from rural and small-town America have the information and support they need to enroll and graduate from the college or university of their choice. This year, the STARS College Network is doubling its membership to 32 other prominent institutions, including UT Austin.
More than half of Texas counties are rural, and UT Austin has been focused on these communities for many years. Now, the University will have additional funding to elevate these efforts thanks to the generosity of Trott Family Philanthropies.
The STARS College Network includes prestigious private universities Stanford, Dartmouth, the University of Chicago and the University of Southern California as well as top public universities such as the University of California, Berkeley and Georgia Institute of Technology and now UT Austin. The only other Texas institution currently in the network is Southern Methodist University.
“The University is committed to ensuring that all students across Texas, including those from rural and small-town communities, have access to the educational opportunities at a world-class public flagship research University,” said Miguel Wasielewski, Vice Provost of Admissions. “To this end, we are excited to be joining the STARS College Network to continue our efforts to provide students across the 254 Texas counties with access to learn about and receive assistance in pursing an education at UT Austin.”
An initial gift from Trott Family Philanthropies of $20 million helped to launch STARS last year. Trott Family Philanthropies is the family foundation of Byron Trott, who grew up in a small town in Missouri and is the founder, chairman and co-CEO of BDT & MSD Partners, which provides advice and capital to family- and founder-led companies. Building on the first year of success, Trott Family Philanthropies will provide an additional investment of more than $150 million over 10 years in programs to prepare, recruit and support rural students.
In 2023, its inaugural year, the STARS College Network opened doors to higher education for more than a quarter-million students. Its expansion this summer adds flagship state schools, historically Black colleges and universities, Ivy League universities and other selective institutions, spreading the network’s reach to more regions across the nation.
Over the next decade, an estimated $7.4 billion will fund the STARS mission, which includes the financial aid provided directly by participating institutions to students, and expanded support for the initiative from foundations, non-profits and new funding from governmental agencies.
This growth follows a year in which STARS connected with 1.6 million people, including students, families, educators, administrators, foundations, legislators, companies and other organizations. STARS institutions directly engaged with more than 700,000 students, and more than 288,000 students joined the STARS network.
Research shows that college graduates from rural areas often return to their communities, so efforts to help rural students get the greatest benefit from higher education can create a virtuous cycle of support, success and giving back to the next generation.
By combining resources and committing to a plan to overcome these challenges, STARS member institutions help students at every step of their journey, whether they ultimately attend a STARS institution or not. The STARS College Network hopes to motivate other institutions, alumni and philanthropists to increase their own efforts on behalf of rural students.
Partnerships are key to expanding impact and ensuring student success. STARS schools directly engage with the rootEd Alliance, a public-private partnership that helps rural students define and plan their paths to achieve career success and economic stability by placing dedicated college and career advisors in rural schools. Operating in 195 school across Missouri, Texas and Idaho, rootEd has served 42,000 students to date, and collaborates with STARS to provide specialized support and training for rootEd advisors throughout the year. rootEd Alliance, launched in 2018, is made possible by a group of philanthropists convened by Trott Family Philanthropies.
STARS is expanding its efforts with Khan Academy and Schoolhouse.world to address math preparation gaps by providing students with free courses and tutoring. A new multi-year partnership with the College Board, which serves 7 million students each year, significantly expanding the scale and impact of STARS. As part of this partnership, College Board will provide $300,000 in funding for the AP Rural Fellows scholarship program, which provides funding for AP teacher professional learning and development, launch new resources to better equip rural and small town counselors and AP teachers to support college-going, feature STARS successful models and practices at College Board national conferences that reach over 10,000 educators annually; and pilot new ways to support and recognize rural and small town school, teacher, and student achievement.
