Rural colleges and universities and the rural communities they serve are often overlooked when experts discuss higher education. Yet, in a year-long study, researchers have just identified more than 1,000 rural serving institutions (RSIs) that are educating five million students.
In fact, this represents 46 percent of all public, four-year institutions and more than half of public, two-year institutions. Roughly one-third of HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) are RSIs as well as 18 percent of High Hispanic-enrolling institutions, 93 percent of Tribal Colleges and Universities, and 94 percent of High Native-enrolling institutions.
The Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges (ARRC), based at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina has created a new metric so that scholars can identify and conduct qualitative or quantitative research about RSIs and the communities they serve. Currently, there is no consensus on the definition of a rural college or university. This new tool has been developed in response to this as the definition impacts multiple issues, including funding.
Key Findings
- RSIs serve communities with socioeconomic disparities. For instance, 83 percent of postsecondary institutions in low employment counties are RSIs, as are 53 percent of institutions in child-poverty counties.
- Enrollments in RSIs are smaller but diverse. They have smaller enrollment and focus on undergraduate education. RSIs have a higher number of low-income students who receive Pell Grants as well as a higher percentage of Native American/Alaska Native students.
- RSIs rely on state appropriations. Public RSIs receive a greater share of their revenues from state appropriations than non-RSIs. With the exception of private, four-year institutions, endowment assets per students are higher at RSIs.
“RSIs are important educational access points for low-income students, adult learners, and those from marginalized racial backgrounds, and they are critical to regional economic development, as many RSIs are the largest employer in their region. These institutions have deep connections to their communities, and this project will help those storied to be told,” said Andrew Koricich, the project’s Principal Investigator and AARC’s Regional Director.
Leaders at RSIs can use the new metric, which considers populations and locations along with degree programs, for benchmarking, strategic planning, and continuous improvement activities. The new metric also has implications for how states and the federal government identify and support learners living in rural communities. ARRC is making the RSI metric, data, report, interactive map, and data documentation freely available on its website.
AARC is co-directed by five leading researchers on regional colleges and postsecondary education in rural contexts. Andrew Koricich is an Associate Professor of higher education at Appalachian State University and the Executive Director of the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges. Vanessa A. Sansone is an Assistant Professor of higher education at The University of Texas at San Antonio. Alisa Hicklin Fryar is a Professor of political science at the University of Oklahoma. Cecilia M. Orphan is an Associate Professor of higher education at the University of Denver. Kevin R. McClure is an Associate Professor of higher education at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.