{"675577":{"#nid":"675577","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Joins Network Bolstering Reach to Rural Students","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech has joined 31 other top universities from around the country in the Small Town and Rural Students (STARS) College Network. Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/admission.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EOffice of Undergraduate Admission\u003C\/a\u003E will leverage this partnership to further promote access to the Institute for students from small towns and rural areas.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur commitment to inclusive innovation involves engagement with students, families, and school officials across the state. We have identified 115 of the 159 counties in Georgia as rural, and we want to ensure that students from these areas are represented on our campus,\u201d said Mary Tipton Woolley, interim executive director of Undergraduate Admission. \u201cBy partnering with STARS, we can build on our existing initiatives to work with rural communities, support the work of school officials and student advocates, and provide multiple avenues to experience and explore what Tech has to offer.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe investment in Tech from Trott Family Philanthropies, part of a $50 million donation to support outreach and engagement by STARS member schools, will amplify Tech\u2019s ongoing efforts to expand access to communities through initiatives such as the Peach State Tour, an annual recruitment event that brings Tech, Augusta University, Georgia State University, and the University of Georgia within 50 miles of every Georgian. The \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.peachstatetour.org\/\u0022\u003E2024 Peach State Tour\u003C\/a\u003E kicks off in late August.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELast year, Undergraduate Admission \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.em.gatech.edu\/2023\/11\/16\/undergraduate-admission-2023-travel\/\u0022\u003Eincreased travel around Georgia by 270%\u003C\/a\u003E, compared to 2019, with counselors visiting 98 counties and 282 schools. The 2023-24 admission cycle saw a 13% rise in applications from Georgia students, with admitted students from 130 counties across the state. This admission cycle included \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.em.gatech.edu\/2024\/01\/11\/twiggs-county-first-admit\/\u0022\u003Ethe first two admits\u003C\/a\u003E from rural Twiggs County since 2000. Twiggs County Superintendent Mack Bullard cites the school\u2019s engagement with Georgia Tech as instrumental in those two students\u0027 acceptance to Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/sites.gatech.edu\/em-news\/files\/2024\/01\/twiggs-4-6c4c2af16b47433e-375x500.jpg\u0022 alt=\u0022Cameron Pearson smiles at the camera as he shows his acceptance letter. Mack Bullard stands to his side, also smiling at the camera.\u0022\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESuperintendent Mack Bullard (right) stands with one of the Twiggs County students admitted to Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIf you never get exposed to it, you never get to create the dream,\u201d he said. \u201cThat bridge between a rural community and a university is invaluable.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EQuincy Howard, a fourth-year industrial engineering major from Dublin, Georgia, noted that having the increased in-person exposure to Tech during his time in high school would have been useful. Instead, during his college search, he learned about Georgia Tech while researching engineering schools online.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt probably would have enlightened my whole college application process,\u201d said Howard. \u201cHaving a Tech admission counselor as a resource to guide me through my options at Tech definitely would have been helpful. I ended up on this path and went with it, but who knows, maybe other avenues would have opened up for me. That resource aspect is what I see being best about it.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech will use the funding provided through STARS to dedicate additional staff to new rural outreach initiatives, support on-campus and virtual programming for rural communities, and further increase travel and marketing efforts.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis multipronged approach will, among other objectives:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EIntroduce the role of program manager for STARS initiatives within the Office of Undergraduate Admission, which will lead rural outreach for the office.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESupport additional travel opportunities for rural students and school staff members to visit campus and experience Tech through a day of programming.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAllow the Office of Undergraduate Admission to explore new partnerships with other campus efforts working in rural spaces, as well as new programming to support students in rural areas.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe STARS Network was established in 2023, with 16 founding members. In the past year, the STARS Network, created with an initial $20 million gift from Byron and Tina Trott, has connected with over a quarter-million students.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis partnership with Trott Family Philanthropies is another step in our continued efforts to connect with communities across the state, including ones where we haven\u2019t been present previously,\u201d said Paul Kohn, vice provost of Enrollment Management at Tech. \u201cWorking to ensure the entire state of Georgia can experience what Tech has to offer is a core part of our strategic plan, and this is another step in achieving that goal and ultimately expanding access to an education at Tech.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELearn more about the STARS College Network \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/starscollegenetwork.org\/?utm_medium=emnews\u0026amp;utm_source=georgiatech\u0026amp;utm_campaign=stars\u0022\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E. Read more Tech Undergraduate Admission news \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/b.gatech.edu\/3W9uZgv\u0022\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESTARS provides comprehensive programming and support for rural high school students across the nation to pursue opportunities in higher education.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The Trott Family Philanthropies is doubling its investment in rural student outreach by adding Georgia Tech and 15 other universities to the Small Town and Rural Students (STARS) College Network. "}],"uid":"36495","created_gmt":"2024-07-24 15:33:03","changed_gmt":"2024-07-25 14:43:41","author":"Amanda Budd","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-07-24T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2024-07-24T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"674417":{"id":"674417","type":"image","title":"starslogo-fullcolor.png","body":null,"created":"1721835203","gmt_created":"2024-07-24 15:33:23","changed":"1721835203","gmt_changed":"2024-07-24 15:33:23","alt":"STARS logo","file":{"fid":"257924","name":"starslogo-fullcolor.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/07\/24\/starslogo-fullcolor.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/07\/24\/starslogo-fullcolor.png","mime":"image\/png","size":33749,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/07\/24\/starslogo-fullcolor.png?itok=YZqHl9z4"}}},"media_ids":["674417"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/news.em.gatech.edu\/2024\/07\/24\/stars\/","title":"Georgia Tech Joins Network Bolstering Reach to Rural Students"}],"groups":[{"id":"660355","name":"Enrollment Management"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"11898","name":"access"},{"id":"14525","name":"Rural"},{"id":"5453","name":"admission"},{"id":"1838","name":"Admissions"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:abudd7@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmanda Budd\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEnrollment Management\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}