My name is Paul Compton (he/him), and I serve as Director of Access Partnerships and FGLI Support Initiatives for Northwestern Admissions. While I didn’t grow up in a rural background, my experience as a first-generation college student provided some similarities on the difficulties of having a social network to support my college search and the cultural changes I’d need to adjust to when moving across the country.

Northwestern’s Commitment to Diversity and Supporting Rural Students

Chicago has famously been referred to as the City of Big Shoulders and the Windy City; references to its working-class history and storied political climate. Yet, the city of Chicago cannot be separated from the network of smaller towns and rural neighborhoods throughout the region that set the foundation for what makes Chicago special. I remember early during my time at Northwestern as our QuestBridge liaison that many of the students who were coming to Evanston were increasingly from public schools and geographic areas that were more rural. Beyond distance from city centers, oftentimes students coming from these backgrounds have limited networks of those who have come before them to guide their next steps for their education and career. In Illinois, rural counties have nearly half the proportion of residents with a bachelor’s degree or higher when compared to non-rural counties.

At Northwestern, we believe that diversity—of background, identity, belief, interest, expertise—is essential to undergraduate learning and to a healthy society. We convene a community of open-minded individuals who are eager to benefit from and contribute to the world of perspectives on campus, and we are committed to ensuring students from rural areas and small towns are well represented in this community. Your unique societal lenses are invaluable to our exchange of ideas, and to the conversations that help students learn and grow outside of the classroom—insights linked to growing up in geographically remote settings, or in communities where college-going isn’t necessarily a given after high school, or in local economies driven by agriculture. Your experiences and identities are many-layered, and intersectional viewpoints like yours make possible the inclusive teaching and learning emphasized on Northwestern’s campus. We are likewise committed to removing the barriers to college access that rural and small-town students often encounter through a combination of tailored programming, information-sharing, regional connections (we’ll come to you).

Northwestern’s Membership with the Small-Town and Rural Students College Network

On our Admissions Outreach and Access Team, we think deeply about these barriers that may hinder individuals and communities from achieving their education goals Our new membership with the STARS (Small-Town and Rural Students) College Network provides a great opportunity to expand resources, grow opportunities for visiting a select group of prominent colleges and universities and a build collective effort to impact these communities. I’m excited to be among those shaping this effort at Northwestern as we deepen our commitment towards rural engagement and equipping students with an education that can positively impact their hometowns during and after their time in Evanston.  

Learn More About Services for Rural Students

If you’re interested in learning more about the STARS College Network and what Northwestern’s participation will look like, I’d encourage you to check out our partner site here. To highlight the voices of students and staff members who have thrived at Northwestern after enrolling from rural backgrounds, you can also watch this Rural Student Experience panel on our YouTube page. Finally, you can see a video advertising the STARS College Network through the video embedded below. 

	Paul Compton (he/him/his) Associate Director, Director of Access Partnerships and FGLI Support Initiatives