How to Cover Rural Colleges as Economic Engines

Rural colleges are economic anchors and drivers of community identity. When these campuses face funding cuts, declining enrollment or closure, the impact ripples far beyond higher education. 

At the Education Writers Association’s 2025 Higher Education Seminar: Rural Education in September, experts gathered to discuss the challenges these educational institutions face and the ways journalists can improve their coverage of rural higher education.

Participants

• Karen Eppley, associate professor of rural education at Kansas State University and director of its Rural Education Center. Her research focuses on inequities in rural education, the changing demographics of rural students and systemic barriers that shape opportunity.
• Chett Daniel, president of Crowder College in Missouri. A former teacher and corporate professional, Daniel oversees a nine-county rural service area and serves on regional economic development and workforce boards.
• Kirk Nooks, president and CEO of the Council on Occupational Education, which accredits more than 500 institutions nationwide. His 25 years of experience span engineering and leadership at rural-serving colleges.
• Elyse Ashburn, panel moderator and editor at Work Shift, where she oversees reporting on the workforce, skills and the future of higher education.

Drawing on their insights, this tip sheet offers practical guidance for journalists covering rural higher education.

Key Takeaways 

1. Establish the economic significance of rural colleges.

Rural colleges consistently serve as “economic hubs” within their regions, Ashburn said. They provide workforce training and serve as major local employers. Students and employees spend money in nearby communities on food, housing, personal supplies and entertainment, circulating dollars through local economies.

Nooks noted that colleges often raise local property values when faculty and staff purchase or rehabilitate homes. These institutions also host athletic events and co-curricular programs that bring visitors and spending into towns.

• Reporting takeaway: Avoid focusing solely on campus metrics. Instead, document how a rural college supports local jobs and businesses, and calculate the economic shock that may occur if the institution downsizes or closes.

2. Explain why rural communities can struggle with capacity.

Panelists repeatedly highlighted that rural communities often lack capacity, but not ambition, to pursue economic development opportunities. 

Daniel explained that many counties do not have the planners, grant writers or broadband experts needed to secure federal infrastructure funding. For that reason, rural colleges frequently step in to convene stakeholders, host workshops, apply for grants and coordinate broadband or health care initiatives.

• Reporting takeaway: Connect federal or state policy debates to what rural governments can realistically implement. Show how colleges fill crucial infrastructure and planning gaps.

3. Highlight the barriers students face when pursuing higher education.

Financial struggles remain the most significant barrier for rural students. Eppley described the “tyranny of distance,” in which students must travel long distances to reach campus, often without reliable transportation. 

When they arrive on campus, many first-generation students may feel culturally disconnected from larger institutions. Rural high schools also face severe counselor shortages. Some states average nearly 300 students per counselor, making college advising inconsistent and often inaccessible.

• Reporting takeaway: When writing about enrollment trends or student success, highlight the geographic, cultural and financial barriers that shape rural students’ choices.

4. Examine the realities of dual enrollment.

Dual enrollment is frequently promoted as a cost-saving strategy for students and their families, but the panel described how it can reinforce inequities. At many rural high schools, students sit in the same classroom, but only those who can afford tuition earn college credit. 

Daniel noted that a three-credit course may cost a family $180, even though the course is delivered inside the high school classroom. In states without strong dual-credit subsidies, low-income students are disproportionately excluded.

• Reporting takeaway: Ask who pays for dual enrollment in your state. Identify which communities benefit and which are left out.

5. Connect funding debates to student outcomes.

Panelists emphasized that recent federal and state shifts in funding have concrete impacts on rural students:

• TRIO programs (such as Upward Bound, Education Opportunity Center and Talent Search) provide critical academic and advising support. Cuts could sharply reduce rural students’ odds of completing a degree.
• Property tax reductions in some states jeopardize the main revenue stream that keeps community college tuition affordable.
• Workforce Pell expansion offers new opportunities for short-term credential programs, while a flat funding plan with no cuts to Perkins grants can safeguard technical fields, such as welding and industrial maintenance, all of which offer high wages and short paths to employment.
• Rising operational costs (utilities, equipment, health care benefits) put strain on small institutions with limited budgets.

• CAMP (College Assistance Migrant Program) supports first-year undergraduate students who are migratory or seasonal farmworkers, or the immediate family members of such workers, enrolled in their first year of undergraduate studies at an institution of higher education.

Reporting takeaway: Frame funding stories around access and outcomes rather than only numbers. Explain how cuts will affect programs that can lead directly to local jobs.

6. Clarify the data gaps that distort rural colleges’ impact.

The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) offers incomplete data on community colleges because it measures only first-time, full-time degree-seeking students, or a small fraction of enrollment. 

The panel noted that adult learners, part-time students and noncredit workforce trainees are invisible in federal metrics. Furthermore, when students transfer to four-year institutions, their eventual graduation is usually credited to the university, not the college that trained them for two years.

• Reporting takeaway: When referencing data, explain its limitations. Highlight the significant share of rural students pursuing nontraditional or noncredit pathways.

7. Investigate employer partnerships and pipelines.

Innovative partnerships between colleges, businesses, hospitals and school districts often fill rural workforce gaps. Examples include hospitals covering dual enrollment tuition for future nurses or school districts providing funding for paraprofessionals to earn teaching credentials. These arrangements keep talent local and reduce turnover.

• Reporting takeaway: Look beyond big corporate recruitment announcements. Examine how local partnerships reliably support long-term workforce needs.

8. Balance stories of rural decline with examples of resilience.

Panelists urged journalists not to portray rural America as monolithic or doomed. 

Some communities are struggling because of political and economic factors, but not because of a lack of potential. Others are innovating, strengthening employment pipelines, revitalizing main streets and designing local workforce solutions. 

Daniel argued many rural areas “ignore political affiliation” to work collaboratively for the good of the community.

• Reporting takeaway: Pair coverage of struggling regions with examples of rural innovation. These stories show people what is possible and offer models for replication.

Story Ideas

1. Anchor institutions and economic impact

How does a rural college support its community beyond academics? Explore its role as an employer, cultural center, training hub and civic space. Quantify the losses that would occur if the institution were to close.

Panelists noted that rural colleges often serve as the lifeblood of their towns by supporting jobs, local businesses and even health care partnerships. A story could follow a community that recently lost its college (or is at risk of doing so), examining the economic and political fallout.

2. Barriers and belonging

How do distance, finances and cultural mismatches shape rural students’ transitions to college? What does belonging look like on different campuses?

3. Dual enrollment and affordability gaps

Who pays for dual credit in your state? Are low-income or migrant students excluded from these opportunities because of cost barriers?

This story could explore the equity gaps and families’ experiences navigating the system.

4. Funding shifts and their consequences

How will changes in TRIO, CAMP, Perkins, or property tax revenue affect rural institutions and their workforce-training capacities?

5. Local workforce pipelines

Explore partnerships between colleges, hospitals, manufacturers and K-12 school districts. How are rural institutions building their own workforce rather than relying on large external employers?

Instead of focusing on “brain drain,” this story would highlight grow-your-own programs. A reporter could profile communities where these pipelines are reversing workforce shortages.

6. The hidden workforce engine

Community colleges deliver extensive noncredit workforce training, from industrial maintenance to health care support roles. Despite their major economic impact, there is no federal data system that tracks these programs. Reporters should ask their local institutions if they have been tracking any data on the programs in the absence of federal data. A story could examine how much rural employers rely on these training pipelines, what skills students gain and how the lack of federal visibility affects funding and policymaking.

Reporting Tips

• Visit rural communities: Panelists emphasized that understanding distance, transportation hurdles and community dynamics requires on-the-ground reporting.
  
• Speak with faculty and staff who know the community: Professors and workforce trainers often have long histories in the region and can connect reporters with relevant sources.
  
• Explain barriers as big-picture systemic issues: Transportation shortages, inadequate broadband and a lack of counselors reflect structural issues. Highlight resilience and successes alongside challenges.
• Build meaningful relationships with rural communities: Follow up with sources and share your published work. Work to ensure that communities see themselves reflected accurately.
• Do not assume rural equals “declining”: Many rural areas are thriving. Avoid deficit framing, and explore why some communities succeed.

Resources

• Why Rural Matters (National Rural Education Association): State-by-state indicators and essential data on rural schools.
• National Community College Benchmark Project (NCCBP): Data on student success, especially in gateway courses.

• Education Design Lab: Supports community colleges in pathway design and rural workforce strategies.

• Patterson Family Foundation (Kansas): Funds rural economic development and school-based innovation.
• TRIO, CAMP and Perkins programs: Federal grants that support rural student access, advising and workforce training.