This paper addresses the special problems faced by rural community colleges, their staffs, and students. Financing problems are severely felt in rural areas where distances, low tax bases, absence of community resources, and the inability to take advantage of the economies of size add to the inflationary burden. The position of the college in the community is also costly, since it may be the only source of cultural avocational, and personal enrichment in the area. The faculty is not attracted to life in the small town; housing is in shortage, and their political and cultural values often differ from those of the populace. In its vocational education role, the college must deal with students' low job aspirations, inadequate visibility of job opportunities, inadequate positions for cooperative education experiences, and a dearth of available part-time faculty for occupational programs. The provinciality of the population and a lack of political clout at state and federal levels both work against the college's role as cultural center for the community. (MJK)