Auburn University President Chris Roberts announced at the Sept. 6 Board of Trustees meeting that Auburn University joined the Small Town and Rural Students College Network in July 2024. STARS College Network is a system of 32 top universities cooperating with high schools and colleges to help students overcome the hurdles of rural living and limited resources.
According to their website, STARS and “32 of the nation’s most prominent institutions” will help local rural communities succeed in college and beyond because of their dedication to rural students. STARS plans to expand through partnerships with state schools, historically black universities and Ivy Leagues. STARS claims to have “directly engaged with more than 700,000 students through these efforts.”
Auburn University will return to its land grant mission through the STARS partnership. Auburn University Enrollment Statistics show that rural counties had low enrollment at Auburn compared to urban counties in fall 2023.
Preston Spark, Director of Communications and Marketing, wrote in the BOT materials that Auburn’s STARS will focus on counties with historically low enrollment to “prioritize a threefold strategy of intensive interaction, tailored communication and valuable engagement opportunities.”
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, rural students graduate high school at higher rates than the national average, but the National Institutes of Health says they are less likely to enroll in college than urban students. These sources also say rural students are more likely to drop out than their urban counterparts.
Some rural students may face difficulties in transportation, cost of attendance, housing, food, recruitment or college readiness, making the road to higher education grueling. Auburn University partnered with STARS to create change by supplying rural students with greater access to Auburn's campus, applications and financial aid.
STARS provides rural students with online and in-person resources.
Pertaining to online resources, STARS gives rural students guided educational programs like Khan Academy and virtual webinars on the college search and application processes.
As far as in-person resources, STARS hosts in-person programs at partnering institutions like Auburn University for rural high school students to attend to learn more about the university. STARS also creates opportunities for professors and faculty members to visit rural communities.
STARS also partners with other organizations focused on rural students, such as rootED Alliance and the non-profit, The Rural Debate Initiative, to advise rural high schoolers and educate them in free debate education respectively.
These opportunities can be even more pivotal in local Alabama communities.
According to Alabama Public Health, 55 out of 67 Alabama counties are considered rural and almost half of Alabama citizens live in rural areas. According to the United States Census Bureau, only 28.9% of Alabamians hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, which is low compared to the national average of 36.2%.
Auburn University's admittance into the STARS program aligns with the university's other initiative to encourage underrepresented areas of Alabama to enroll at Auburn University. Tiger Takeoff brings seniors in high school to an educational recruitment camp at Auburn's campus, where the seniors learn about the university's leadership activities, academics and campus resources.
Seniors accepted into the camp can be from all over Alabama, however there is a focus on students from underrepresented geographical communities in the state. Most counties in southern Alabama are considered rural, yet only 2,775 of Auburn's total fall 2024 in-state student enrollment of 18,200 come from rural counties.
Alongside the other universities in the program, Auburn University joins the fight for the representation of rural students in the classroom. STARS includes in-state rival, The University of Alabama and other prestigious higher education institutions like Duke University, Yale University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Those interested in learning more about Auburn University's involvement with the STARS program can click here.
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