More Than Meets The Eye:Ensuring Postsecondary Educational Opportunity for

an Increasingly Diverse Rural America

Andrew Koricich, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of Higher EducationTexas Tech University

NSPA 2014 Annual ConferenceOctober 16, 2014

PRESENTATION OVERVIEW

The Current State of Rural America Rural Diversity

• People

• Communities

Postsecondary Access & Choice Challenges for Rural Residents

Opportunities for Improvement Discussion/Q&A

BEFORE WE BEGIN…

How many people here this week work at a rural institution?

How many grew up in a rural community?

How many people attended college in a rural town?

How many have family or close friends who live or work in a rural community?

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

The Current State of Rural America

THE CURRENT STATE OF RURAL AMERICA

As of 2010, approximately 60 million Americans live in rural communities.

Change in U.S. Rural Population, 1980–2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census.gov

THE CURRENT STATE OF RURAL AMERICA

Three-quarters of U.S. counties are classified as non-metropolitan.

THE CURRENT STATE OF RURAL AMERICA

Contrary to popular belief, rural America is not overwhelmingly white.

• American Indian reservations, border states, Deep South

• Immigration patterns

Rural residents experience higher poverty rates than those living in cities and suburbs

• More than just an individual problem

• Relationship to local economic changes

THE CURRENT STATE OF RURAL AMERICA

Non-metropolitan counties have experienced greater population loss over the last few decades

• Youth outmigration (“brain drain”)

• Scarcity of critical skills and knowledge

Some rural algebra:

• High Poverty + Decreasing Population = Shrinking Tax Base

• Shrinking Tax Base + High Need for Services = Program Cuts

THE CURRENT STATE OF RURAL AMERICA

On the bright side… Exceptional cultivation of talented youth

Growing economic opportunities in emerging industries

• Sustainable agriculture

• Renewable energy

• Tourism & recreation

Increased connectivity though broadband expansion efforts

• Opportunities in education

• Opportunities in E-Commerce

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

Rural Diversity

RURAL DIVERSITY

Rural diversity can be thought of in two ways: Rural places as home to diverse individuals and groups, each

with corresponding characteristics and challenges

Seeing “rural” as a heterogeneous category made up of distinctly, and substantively, different communities, each with characteristics that impact the lives of residents

RURAL DIVERSITY

Military Enlistees

First-Generation

Low-Income

Racial Minorities

ImmigrantsAdult Learners

RURAL AMERICA

RURAL DIVERSITY

Minorities and Immigrants Rural places have always been home to racial minorities

• Southern slavery resulted in high concentrations of black residents in rural parts of the region.

• American Indian reservations throughout the Southwest are predominantly located in rural areas.

• California’s agriculture industry relies upon Hispanic and Asian laborers

Immigration patterns have influenced the racial composition of rural communities across the country

• Hmong refugees began arriving on the West Coast in the 1970s

• During the 1990s, communities across Iowa experienced an influx of refugees from Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia, and Sudan.

• The Midwest has seen a dramatic increases in the Latino population over the last few decades

RURAL DIVERSITY

Low-income and First-generation For decades, rural places have exhibited lower education

levels among residents when compared to urban and suburban communities, as well as the national average.

• Effect of geographic isolation

• Connection between education and local employment opportunities

• Relationship between poverty and educational access/attainment

Because rural places tend to have fewer residents with college degrees, college students from rural communities are more likely to be first-generation college students.

RURAL DIVERSITY

Student Veterans Recent military conflicts and new G.I. Bill have dramatically

increased the number of combat veterans on college campuses.

• Cultural differences, experience, and age

• Physical and mental health concerns

These students often choose institutions near military bases, as well as community colleges when using education benefits.

RURAL DIVERSITY

Adult Learners For some time, the number of adult students has been

increasing on campuses across the country.

As with student veterans, the age and experience gap of adult students can present some challenges.

• Balancing work, family, and school responsibilities

With the growing availability of broadband Internet connections in rural communities, online education options will become increasingly viable for these residents.

RURAL DIVERSITY

“Rural” as a Heterogeneous Category In research, policy, and everyday life, rural communities are

treated as a monolithic group.

• Agricultural interests can dominate policymaking, despite comprising a decreasing share of national and rural employment.

Accordingly, the vast complexities of rural life are overlooked or ignored.

“America today has many rural Americas.” (Lichter & Brown, 2011, p. 568)

RURAL DIVERSITY

When we treat “rural” as a singular group, we miss important variations in rural places:

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

Postsecondary Access & Choice Challenges for Rural Residents

POSTSECONDARY ACCESS & CHOICE CHALLENGES

Students from non-metropolitan counties are only 80% as likely to enroll in any postsecondary education within 2 years of completing high school

Students from these communities are considerably more likely to choose a two-year college over a four-year institution

• Best option vs. only option quandary

More likely to attend public institutions at both levels

POSTSECONDARY ACCESS & CHOICE CHALLENGES

Students from non-metro counties also less likely to choose selective institutions

In these places, persistent child poverty (20+ years) has a startling detrimental effect on postsecondary enrollment and significantly alter choice patterns.

Local industry and employment opportunities influence college access and choice

• Connections between education and employment are crucial

POSTSECONDARY ACCESS & CHOICE CHALLENGES

Distance from postsecondary institutions (predictably) influences access and choice

• Without choice, do we truly have access?

Rural residents are more likely to live in a county with no postsecondary institution compared to urban and suburban residents.

• Opportunities in online education, but this is not for everyone and comes with corresponding obstacles

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

Opportunities for Improvement

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT

“Place Not Race” Shift efforts to diversity campuses and increase opportunity to

see where a student comes from, as opposed to race alone. As diverse places, rural communities are a rich source of

underrepresented and non-traditional college students.

• Design outreach and institutional aid efforts accordingly

Can aid a broad spectrum of populations in need This re-thinking should permeate recruitment/outreach,

institutional aid provision, and academic research.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT

Administrators and Institutions Understand the rural populations specific to your state/region

Review institutional aid programs

Support programs

• Retention is more cost-effective than attrition!

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT

Policymakers Understand who comprises rural America

Understand the effects of policy changes on vulnerable populations

Expand Pell Grants and other low-income grant aid

• Re-examine PLUS loan eligibility changes

Develop creative ways to fund rural students while connecting education to employment opportunities in rural communities

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT

Researchers Conduct more research on rural populations and

postsecondary education

Account for diversity within the “rural” category

Provide robust research on financial aid changes and their impact on rural populations and the various sub-populations that reside in these communities

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

Discussion/Q&A

More Than Meets The Eye:Ensuring Postsecondary Educational Opportunity for

an Increasingly Diverse Rural America

Andrew Koricich, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of Higher EducationTexas Tech Universityandrew.koricich@ttu.edu

NSPA 2014 Annual ConferenceOctober 16, 2014

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