The University of Chicago Launches Trott Center for Excellence in Rural America

$100 million gift from Trott Family Philanthropies anchors a 10-year, $300 million initiative to expand opportunity for rural and small-town students from early preparation through college and beyond

CHICAGO, Sept. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Chicago today announced the launch of the Trott Center for Excellence in Rural America, a long-term initiative designed to expand academic and career opportunities for students from rural and small-town communities across the United States.

The Center is anchored by a $100 million gift from Trott Family Philanthropies, the foundation of Byron and Tina Trott. The University has committed $100 million in support for these students and will seek to raise another $100 million from other donors, bringing total planned support for the initiative to $300 million. Byron Trott, chairman and co-CEO of BDT & MSD Partners, earned both his undergraduate and MBA degrees from the University of Chicago.

"There is extraordinary undiscovered talent in rural America. Too often, young people simply are not aware of the opportunities available to them or prepared to pursue them," said Trott. "We want to help change that. Over the last eight years, we have learned a great deal about how to connect with these students earlier, prepare them for what comes next and open doors that might otherwise remain out of reach. The Trott Center is about taking those lessons further and giving more young people the chance to reach their full potential with a world-class education and career opportunities."

The initiative will build on the University's longstanding work to expand opportunity for students from rural and small-town communities, supporting a comprehensive model that spans early academic preparation, college access, student success and career development.

"We are deeply grateful to Byron Trott and the Trott family for this special gift. The University of Chicago has long believed that our academic excellence goes hand in hand with expanding opportunity to intellectually rigorous and curious students from every community," said President Paul Alivisatos. "The Trott Center reflects our commitment not only to enrolling talented rural students, but to equipping them with the academic support, networks and experiences needed for them to thrive academically and become leaders in all areas of civil society and parts of the country."

Expanding Access and Supporting Rural Student Success

Students from rural communities graduate from high school at rates comparable to their metropolitan peers, yet are less likely to enroll in and graduate from leading residential four-year colleges and universities.

The Trott Center is designed around a simple premise: expanding access is only the beginning. Its work will span the student journey, from early preparation and college advising through academic success, leadership development, internships and career preparation.

The Center will serve as a coordinating hub for the University's work with rural students and will expand support including:

• Early outreach, advising and academic preparation in rural high schools
• Financial aid and support for students from rural and small-town communities
• Academic services, mentorship, leadership development and community building
• Career preparation, internships and professional networks
• Continued engagement and support through graduation and into students' early careers

The gift will also support the STARS College Network, a coalition of colleges and universities committed to expanding access and opportunity for rural and small-town students. Launched in 2023 with Trott's support and headquartered at the University of Chicago, STARS has grown to include 32 schools, with an additional eight to be added in the coming months.

Through the Trott Center and STARS, the University will work with peer institutions to help more rural students identify and prepare for opportunities at leading colleges and universities, while building the skills, networks and experiences that can support their ambitions beyond college.

Strengthening Career Pathways

As the Trott Center develops, the University will build on its existing career programs to help rural students better understand the opportunities available after college and prepare to pursue them.

This work will include career guidance, employer engagement, internships and experiential learning, including through the University's Metcalf Internship Program, founded and funded by Trott in 1997 and responsible for more than 5,000 annual summer job placements. Over time, the Center aims to deepen connections with employers so that students have greater exposure to the range of careers available to them and employers have greater visibility into a pool of talent they may not traditionally reach.

"At ADM, our business is rooted in rural communities. This is where our facilities operate, where our supply chains begin, and where so much of American agriculture's next generation of talent comes from," said Jennifer Weber, chief people officer at ADM, a partner in UChicago's efforts to connect students with careers after graduation. "Investing in rural talent, from the classroom through the start of a career, pays dividends for both those students and the industries that depend on them. Efforts like UChicago's new rural initiatives are a welcome step in strengthening that pipeline, and we're glad to see more institutions focused on this work."

As the Trott Center grows, the University aims to deepen partnerships with educators, employers and peer institutions to expand the opportunities available to rural students and help them translate education into long-term career and leadership opportunities.

Building on a Long-Term Commitment to Rural Opportunity

The Trott Center builds on work that began in 2018, when Trott asked University leaders how many undergraduate students from rural and small-town communities attended UChicago. That question helped catalyze a broader effort to expand opportunity for rural students.

Since then:

• In 2018, Trott founded rootEd Alliance, which places dedicated career advisors in rural high schools to help students identify the right path after graduation, while partnering with communities, states and employers to strengthen local talent pipelines. This academic year, rootEd advisors will support 340 rural schools across six states and have reached more than 100,000 students to date.
• In 2019, Trott helped establish the Emerging Rural Leaders program at the University of Chicago.
• In 2023, an initial $20 million gift from Trott helped launch the STARS College Network, followed by an additional $50 million commitment that supported its expansion to 32 member institutions in 2024.

The Trott Center brings those efforts into a broader long-term commitment to identifying exceptional rural talent, helping young people see possibilities they may not otherwise encounter, preparing them to pursue those opportunities and giving them the relationships and experiences that can shape the trajectory of their lives.

Learn how you can support the work of the Trott Center here.

SOURCE The University of Chicago