In the spring of 2023, Columbia was very proud to announce our inclusion as a founding member of the STARS (Small-Town and Rural Students) 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. Participation in this network has enabled Columbia to deepen our commitment to a variety of initiatives aimed at recruiting and supporting students from rural and small towns across the United States.
The STARS College Network is now doubling in size with the support of Trott Family Philanthropies, adding sixteen additional colleges and universities to this important effort. The expansion includes flagship state schools, historically Black colleges, an additional Ivy League university and other selective institutions. An estimated $7.4 billion will fund STARS’s mission over the next decade, which includes the financial aid provided directly by participating institutions to students and expanded support for the initiative from foundations, nonprofits and new funding from governmental agencies. Trott Family Philanthropies will build on its initial $20 million gift that served to launch STARS with an additional investment of more than $150 million over 10 years in programs that prepare, recruit and support rural students.