This paper reviews the literature on the social and economic impacts that colleges and universities have on rural communities. Drawing on reports from the U.S. General Accounting Office, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and peer-reviewed research, the paper examines how institutions of higher learning address rural challenges such as population sparsity, industry dependence, and limited access to expertise. Case studies from Alaska, Hawaii, New Mexico, Texas, West Virginia, and the rural South illustrate concrete contributions including contract training, small business incubation, agricultural assistance, distance education, and cultural preservation. The paper also addresses the social dimensions of higher education's rural role, including community identity formation, diversity exposure, and health and wellness programming.
According to the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO, 1992), rural communities face unique challenges due to their remoteness, low population density, and dependence on a particular industry. The remoteness of rural areas leads to several compounding difficulties. The GAO (1992) explains that businesses in urban areas benefit from agglomeration, or "efficiencies gained when industries locate in close proximity" (p. 3). Businesses in rural areas are unable to reap this benefit. Additionally, residents in rural areas tend to be less informed about economic changes at the national and global level than residents in urban areas, and may lack access to expertise and specialized knowledge (GAO, 1992).
The lack of access is also a result of sparse population. The GAO (1992) explains that 90 percent of rural towns have populations of fewer than 5,000; therefore, they may not possess the breadth and depth of expertise found in metropolitan areas. This expertise is necessary to initiate and sustain new types of economic activity that make a region competitive in a national or global economy. Because the economies of rural areas tend to rely on a single industry such as agriculture, the entire region may decline due to changes in that industry.
The GAO (1992) asserts that educational opportunities are instrumental to the revitalization of rural areas — whether to create a highly skilled workforce or to provide training for workers seeking to upgrade their skills or transition to a different industry. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD, 2000), "Universities house significant, and often untapped, resources that have enormous potential value to communities" (p. 2). These resources go beyond the obvious benefits of education to include applying university expertise in health care, economics, law, sociology, environmental management, and other fields to work with local residents and build community partnerships.
Ilisagvik College, located in Barrow, Alaska, serves the educational needs of a population of 4,500 people living in eight villages spread over 89,000 square miles. To reach this dispersed population, Dr. Stan Scott developed a creative outreach model for the college's business and entrepreneurship training. Using a radio show called the Ilisagvik Business Circle, he reaches approximately 1,000 residents each week. His programming includes weekly discussions with local business, college, and government leaders, as well as training on business plan development and information about how the college can help residents become entrepreneurs. The show also provides training for employees of the North Slope government — approximately 80 percent of the college's target area — on skills needed for entry-level management positions. When face-to-face training is required, such as for grant writing, participants are flown to Barrow (HUD, 2003).
An example of a rural area dependent on a single industry is the pineapple farming region near Hoolehua, Hawaii. According to HUD (2003), pineapple plantations once employed 60 percent of the island's residents; today, most pineapples are grown in Africa or the Philippines. Under the Hawaiian Homelands Act, Native Hawaiians may lease up to 40 acres of agricultural land for $1 per year (HUD, 2003). Maui Community College is assisting these homesteaders through its Agricultural and Vocational Center, known as "The Farm." The Farm offers classes in farming techniques, equipment maintenance, business planning, marketing, taxes, and human resources (HUD, 2003). In addition to its economic contributions, this program is helping residents "reclaim their traditional livelihood" (HUD, 2003).
In a similar endeavor, the University of New Mexico (UNM), in collaboration with the Rio Grande Community Development Corporation (RGCDC), is assisting small farmers in the South Valley in converting their agricultural products into commercial goods — such as turning tomatoes into salsa or supplying fresh foods to local catering businesses (HUD, 2003). According to HUD (2003), approximately one-fifth of the area's population lives in poverty due to the decline of agriculture, which has been "a vital component of the area's economic and cultural landscape for more than 1,000 years" (p. 41). The partnership between UNM and RGCDC created the South Valley Economic Development Center, which serves as a commercial kitchen while also providing technical assistance, counseling services, emergency loan funds, and access to office supplies, fax machines, and conference rooms (HUD, 2003). Additionally, UNM graduate students conducted door-to-door surveys to help residents identify their skills and explore how those talents could be turned into retail services.
In Texas, the University of Texas–Pan American is helping low-income rural residents of the colonias near the Mexican border achieve home ownership. According to HUD (2000), university staff and students provide bilingual homebuyer education, housing counseling, and referral services. The university also collaborates with local government agencies, nonprofit housing organizations, private financial institutions, and the Rio Grande Empowerment Zone to obtain down-payment assistance and subsidized interest financing (HUD, 2000).
Miller and Tuttle (2007) explain that rural community colleges provide three economic development service activities: contract training, small business development, and local economic-development planning. Contract training is conducted for a specific business client for that business's benefit — as illustrated by the Ilisagvik College example — and may cover new computer systems, new machinery, or new compliance standards. Small business development activities include incubators that provide free or reduced-price office space (as in the UNM project), as well as consultative services such as personnel policy development, hiring assistance, help with federal and state paperwork, and assistance with business plan development. Local economic-development planning activities include scanning for economic trends, monitoring legislation, and convening citizens to learn about issues that may affect local business (Miller & Tuttle, 2007).
Additionally, Rego and Caleiro (2010) identify eight functions performed by universities that may lead to economic development: creation of knowledge, human-capital creation, transfer of existing know-how, technological innovation, capital investment, regional leadership, knowledge infrastructure production, and influence on regional milieu.
"Purchasing, hiring, workforce development, and incubator roles"
"Educational access, distance learning, diversity, and health programs"
"Pride, inclusiveness, and town-defining roles of rural colleges"
This paper has demonstrated how rural communities benefit from collaboration with colleges and universities. However, this collaboration is also beneficial to the institutions of higher learning themselves. As Andrew Cuomo states, "More and more, they realize that working for neighborhood revitalization not only helps the community, it also furthers the traditional objectives of education and research" (HUD, 2000, p. i). According to HUD (2000), when faculty and students engage with communities, they learn from the practical application of ideas as well as from residents who possess real-life understanding of the challenges facing rural areas. The relationship, in short, is one of mutual growth.
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