Vanderbilt University joins Small Town and Rural Students Network
Vanderbilt is joining the STARS College Network, a group of public and private universities that will collaborate on new efforts to help students from small-town and rural America enroll in, succeed at, and graduate from the undergraduate program of their choice.
The STARS College Network (Small-Town And Rural Students) will build on efforts to create new pathways to college for students who might not otherwise recognize the full range of educational opportunities available to them.
In addition to Vanderbilt, other universities participating in the effort include: Brown, Caltech, Case Western Reserve, Colby, Columbia, MIT, Northwestern, Ohio State, University of Chicago, University of Iowa, University of Maryland, University of Southern California, University of Wisconsin, Washington University and Yale.
STARS network efforts may include:
- Pipeline programs that bring students from rural communities and small towns to campus over summer break to help them prepare academically and socially for college
- On-campus events for prospective students from rural areas and small towns, including flying students in from their hometowns
- Expanded visits by college admissions staff to high schools in small towns and rural communities
- Support for students in the college application process, including workshops and sessions designed to help students throughout their college search
- Help navigating financial aid and scholarship opportunities
- Fly-in and virtual programs for counselors, teachers, and administrators from rural and small-town high schools, to help them better support their students on the path to college
- Creating ambassador and mentor roles for current students, faculty, and staff, to promote a campus community that welcomes and supports students from small-town and rural America
- Partnering with local and national businesses to provide internships and job opportunities for the next generation of rural America
Learn more about Vanderbilt’s commitment to small-town and rural students, including our upcoming series of webinars designed specifically for prospective students from small towns and rural areas.