Cultivating a purposefully small residential community is essential to the Amherst College vision of liberal arts education. Every student is valued for what they bring to our community, and for their wide range of lived experiences. An increased focus on attracting, enrolling and retaining students from rural backgrounds will contribute to the tapestry of perspectives that help strengthen the Amherst community. Our outreach efforts will also be directly supported by current Amherst students, as the integration of the student perspective into this work is imperative to creating an understanding of our community, and a sense of future belonging, for small-town and rural students.