Rural areas of the world share many common problems, such as a lack of diverse educational and economic development opportunities. This paper argues that only when rural areas develop strong partnerships among organizations with diverse strengths, and these organizations bring some measure of power to these partnerships, will these rural areas be…

Community service programs of rural community colleges can assist in rural development. Currently some programs focus on educational service to individuals or groups, while others are more direct community development projects. The following trends are indicative of the emergence of the human resources development role in the community college:…

This monograph, commissioned by the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges, presents information on the issues and practices of small and/or rural community colleges in the United States. Although a significant number of students enrolled in the nation's two-year colleges are attending small and rural colleges, there is a dearth of…

The Rural Community College Initiative (RCCI) is a national program that supports the efforts of community colleges in distressed rural areas to move their people and communities toward prosperity. RCCI's goals are increasing access to education and developing regional economies. RCCI demonstration sites have produced a wealth of information about…

MDC, Inc. is a private nonprofit whose mission is to expand opportunities, reduce poverty, and build inclusive communities in the South. The Rural Community College Initiative (RCCI) is a national project that supports community colleges in distressed rural areas in moving their people and communities toward prosperity. MDC and the Ford Foundation…

Virginia's Southeastern Community College (SCC) examined its service area and performance in the late 1980s and found that its enrollments had dropped while area unemployment rates were rising. Local officials estimated that nearly 2,000 manufacturing jobs had been lost in the service area--Columbus County--since the passage of the North American…

Western Iowa Tech Community College (WITCC) is a public, comprehensive community college serving a six-county district in Northwest Iowa. The College offers more than 60 occupational programs and a wide variety of liberal arts transfer options, in addition to participating in community enhancement initiatives. The total population of the 6…

Rural community colleges are faced with issues similar to their urban counterparts, but many challenges for rural schools are further exacerbated by limited resources, geographic isolation, and a static economy. This paper argues that the difference between success and failure can be the ability to create strong partnerships. Of the 15 colleges in…

Madisonville Community College (MCC) is in Madisonville, Kentucky, a small town with a strong coal industry presence. Mine closings and layoffs in the 1980s prompted the region to reorient itself toward light industry and manufacturing, but the recession of the early 1990s and globalization led to closings of several of the largest employers. In…

This brief reports on the Ford Foundation's establishment of the Rural Community College Initiative (RCCI) for selected institutions in economically distressed areas of the Southeast, Deep South, Southwest, Appalachia, and western Indian reservations. This is the fourth report in a series by the RCCI Documentation Team. The RCCI program challenges…

Mount Wachusett Community College's (MWCC's) Workplace Partnership Project (WPP) was undertaken to raise the awareness of local agencies to the linkage possibilities among MWCC, economic development leaders, and literacy programs; and to develop a tutor training program for rural workforce literacy tutors. Brochures and flyers publicizing the…

Community colleges across the United States have initiated programs that are making an impact on the productivity of rural America and its residents. Profiles of 20 community and technical college initiatives in rural economic development are contained in this report intended for use by community and technical college administrators. The programs…

According to this paper, rural community colleges face new challenges, which require openness to institutional partnerships that in the past may have been unthinkable due to traditional institutional competitiveness. These challenges include enrollment fluctuation, increased legislative scrutiny, calls for accountability, inadequate and…

Connemara, a rural region in Ireland, is characterized by high unemployment, high emigration, poor infrastructure, inadequate public services, and a low rate of transfer to third-level education. To address the situation, the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), joined forces with Connemara West (a community-owned development organization…

Reports on the COMBASE Conference (Portland, Oregon, September 18, 1980), which addressed the relationships among community development, the community college, and the public. Outlines the conference's mission and the problems and needs assessed by urban, suburban, and suburban-rural study groups. (CAM)