Rural Matters Podcast: Swarthmore's Andrew Moe & College Access

Andrew Moe, associate dean of admissions and director of access & programming, recently talked with John White, former deputy assistant secretary of education for rural outreach on the Rural Matter podcast.

During the discussion, Moe talks about the importance of providing access to and inclusion of rural students on college campuses, including Swarthmore. He adds that geographic diversity and the rural perspective are extremely significant in providing additional viewpoints and perspectives. 

Many rural schools do not offer advanced STEM courses. In addition, Moe says, in many rural schools there’s less access to school counselors and fewer role models. Swarthmore is trying to help increase access to rural students through technological solutions, such as website presentations to school counselors as well as an all-expenses paid “fly-in” program that includes outreach to rural areas.

"We're trying to leverage and increase the use of technology," says Moe. "We recently started a campaign called Small Towns at Swarthmore and it's a visibility program to ensure that prospective rural students can see that rural and small-town students attend Swarthmore. They're able to connect with them, which is important because being a rural or a small-town student is often a socially invisible identity."

Swarthmore also partners with a number of organizations to increase access among rural students, including College Greenlight, which was launched in 2012 to combat the significant underrepresentation of first generation, low-income, and minority students on college campuses across the country.

Andrew Moe on the March 17 episode of the Rural Matters Podcast: