More than a third of Iowa's 3.16 million people live in what are characterized as “rural” communities, making that population key for Midwest colleges and universities eyeing looming demographic shifts that threaten enrollment.
Nationally, 59 million people live in rural areas — including 9.7 million high schoolers — compelling 16 colleges and universities to form a new “STARS College Network.” The STARS initiative, standing for “Small Town and Rural Students,” aims to expand and create new college pathways for students who might not otherwise go.
The University of Iowa is among the 16 collaborating on the “first-of-its-kind” effort to “empower students to find the best institution for them,” according to Jim Nondorf, STARS co-chair and University of Chicago vice president of enrollment and student advancement.
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Other institutions involved include Ivy League schools Brown, Columbia and Yale universities; Big Ten Conference peers Ohio State University, Northwestern University, the University of Maryland and the University of Wisconsin; and prestigious campuses like Case Western Reserve, Vanderbilt and Washington universities, California Institute of Technology, Colby College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Chicago and the University of Southern California.
“Throughout its history, the University of Iowa’s mission has focused on opening new doors for students throughout the state,” UI Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management Brent Gage said about his campus’ involvement. “We’re excited to join this effort to further expand educational access in rural parts of Iowa.”
The initiative — funded by a $20 million gift from Byron and Tina Trott’s Trott Family Philanthropies — will support a range of efforts, including among others:
The programming is free to students who register with STARS, which has a series of upcoming virtual events planned — including a financial aid tutorial; mock application workshop; and college network panel.
Students can learn more about how to participate in STARS at starscollegenetwork.org
The Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges recently created a database on “rural-serving postsecondary institutions,” using five metrics to score thousands of colleges and universities’ level of rural service.
Those metrics looked at the location of a campus, population size of its community, and type of awards it confers, among other things. Schools scoring above the national average of 1.175 were characterized as “rural serving institutions,” including the UI, which scored a 1.468, according to the alliance’s rating tool.
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That database indicated 59 percent of the population in UI’s adjacent counties is rural; nearly 19 percent of its own county’s populace is rural; and 9 percent of its awards and degrees conferred are in agriculture, natural resources and parks and recreation.
Of the UI’s 30,015 fall enrollment, 58 percent — or 17,308 — were Iowa residents, a 2 percent drop from the prior year and 7 percent below 2018’s 18,687 resident enrollment.
Both the percentages Iowa public high school graduates who intended to enroll in college and actually did enroll have dropped over the decade — a trend seen nationally, too. When Americans without a degree were asked why not, 29 percent said they didn’t want one, 36 percent said they needed to go straight to work to support their family and 42 percent said they couldn’t afford higher education.
STARS representatives said their programming also aims to help make college more affordable for rural students — like a Davis New Mexico Scholarship. By partnering with schools like the University of Chicago, that award program has supported more than 250 first-generation students from New Mexico.
The UI in the fall said 21 percent of its new freshmen identified as first in their family to go to college.
“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 cycle of support, success, and giving back to the next generation.”
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Nationally, 59 million people live in rural areas — including 9.7 million high schoolers — compelling 16 colleges and universities to form a new “STARS College Network.” The STARS initiative, standing for “Small Town and Rural Students,” aims to expand and create new college pathways for students who might not otherwise go.
The University of Iowa is among the 16 collaborating on the “first-of-its-kind” effort to “empower students to find the best institution for them,” according to Jim Nondorf, STARS co-chair and University of Chicago vice president of enrollment and student advancement.
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Other institutions involved include Ivy League schools Brown, Columbia and Yale universities; Big Ten Conference peers Ohio State University, Northwestern University, the University of Maryland and the University of Wisconsin; and prestigious campuses like Case Western Reserve, Vanderbilt and Washington universities, California Institute of Technology, Colby College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Chicago and the University of Southern California.
“Throughout its history, the University of Iowa’s mission has focused on opening new doors for students throughout the state,” UI Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management Brent Gage said about his campus’ involvement. “We’re excited to join this effort to further expand educational access in rural parts of Iowa.”
The initiative — funded by a $20 million gift from Byron and Tina Trott’s Trott Family Philanthropies — will support a range of efforts, including among others:
- Pipeline programs bringing rural students to campuses over the summer to help prepare them academically and for college life;
- On-campus events for prospective rural students, including flying them in from their hometowns;
- Expanded college admissions visits to rural high schools;
- Scholarship funds for rural students, along with help applying for aid;
- Fly-in and virtual programs for counselors, teachers and administrators from rural high schools so they can better support their students’ college pursuits;
- Partnerships with local and national businesses to provide internships and job opportunities for rural Americans.
The programming is free to students who register with STARS, which has a series of upcoming virtual events planned — including a financial aid tutorial; mock application workshop; and college network panel.
Students can learn more about how to participate in STARS at starscollegenetwork.org
'Cycle of support’
The Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges recently created a database on “rural-serving postsecondary institutions,” using five metrics to score thousands of colleges and universities’ level of rural service.
Those metrics looked at the location of a campus, population size of its community, and type of awards it confers, among other things. Schools scoring above the national average of 1.175 were characterized as “rural serving institutions,” including the UI, which scored a 1.468, according to the alliance’s rating tool.
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That database indicated 59 percent of the population in UI’s adjacent counties is rural; nearly 19 percent of its own county’s populace is rural; and 9 percent of its awards and degrees conferred are in agriculture, natural resources and parks and recreation.
Of the UI’s 30,015 fall enrollment, 58 percent — or 17,308 — were Iowa residents, a 2 percent drop from the prior year and 7 percent below 2018’s 18,687 resident enrollment.
Both the percentages Iowa public high school graduates who intended to enroll in college and actually did enroll have dropped over the decade — a trend seen nationally, too. When Americans without a degree were asked why not, 29 percent said they didn’t want one, 36 percent said they needed to go straight to work to support their family and 42 percent said they couldn’t afford higher education.
STARS representatives said their programming also aims to help make college more affordable for rural students — like a Davis New Mexico Scholarship. By partnering with schools like the University of Chicago, that award program has supported more than 250 first-generation students from New Mexico.
The UI in the fall said 21 percent of its new freshmen identified as first in their family to go to college.
“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 cycle of support, success, and giving back to the next generation.”
UI joins Ivy, Big Ten schools in rural student initiative
Nationally, 59 million people live in rural areas — including 9.7 million high schoolers — compelling 16 colleges and universities to form a new “STARS College Network.” The STARS initiative, which stands for “Small Town and Rural Students,” aims to expand and create new pathways to college for...
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