TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Residents of rural areas in the U.S. are about 15 percent less likely to earn a bachelor’s degree compared to their urban counterparts, according to the U.S. Census.
Students from small towns and rural areas of Arizona also face unique challenges in accessing higher education. Statistics show that only 38% of students from Pinal County and 36% from Yuma County earn a college degree, according to Education Forward Education.
In response, the University of Arizona (UA) is taking significant steps to bridge this educational gap through a new, innovative coalition.
Last week, the university joined the STARS College Network, a nationwide initiative designed to support rural students and those from small towns.
The STARS (Small Town And Rural Students) Network brings together universities across the country to enhance outreach, recruitment and support for students from rural communities.
Kasey Urquídez, the Chief Enrollment Officer at UA spearheading this effort, knows the challenges of small-town students well. Urquídez hails from Safford, Arizona and experienced firsthand the difficulties of adapting to a large university.
“I was kind of a big fish in a small pond,” she says of growing up in Safford. “Then I came to the U of A and I was like this tiniest little thing within this huge enterprise.”
Urquídez overcame her initial challenges at the university with the help of her family’s unwavering support.
“It was daunting,” she said. “II remember calling my mom, saying ‘please let me come home. Please, please, please.’ And she was relentless, she would not let me. She knew that I could do it and really pushed me to stay, which I’m really grateful for.”
Now, Urquídez is channeling her experiences to help current students through the STARS Network.
Starting this fall, the University of Arizona will begin engaging students from small towns and rural areas with various initiatives. This includes active recruiting at high schools and organizing day-long campus visits to familiarize prospective students with the university environment and introduce them to faculty and current students.
The program aims to make the transition to college smoother and less intimidating for rural students.
The STARS Network was established last year with a $20 million gift from Trott Family Philanthropies. The network includes founding members such as Brown University, the California Institute of Technology and the University of Chicago.
Others joining the STARS Network this year include Dartmouth, Duke and Stanford Universities.
Urquídez said that the network serves to share best practices to ensure educational success for students in rural areas and small towns.
“We are partnered up to make sure we are sharing best practices and working together,” she said. “We’re out there doing outreach and support and helping students that are in rural areas and small towns realize their dreams.”
Ultimately, she says that joining the network can help reach the Achieve60AZ Action Plan, which looks to have 60% of Arizonans attain a certificate, license or degree.
“We want to help increase the educated population in the state of Arizona,” she said. “To do that, we need to spread our wings and make sure we’re sharing this with everyone and that it’s not necessarily in the bigger cities or areas.”
——
Joel Foster is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9 who previously worked as an English teacher in both Boston and the Tucson area. Joel has experience working with web, print and video in the tech, finance, nonprofit and the public sectors. In his off-time, you might catch Joel taking part in Tucson's local comedy scene. Share your story ideas with Joel at joel.foster@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
