9 Questions Reporters Should Be Asking Rural College Leaders

Nick Fouriezos has reported from all 50 states and spent the last four years as the rural higher education reporter for the nonprofit newsroom Open Campus. In this piece, he takes us through some of the questions that journalists should ask rural college leaders to deepen their reporting.

Rural colleges experience distinct opportunities and challenges, many of which fly under the radar of national higher education coverage. From local workforce development partnerships to bridging the digital divide, these institutions are navigating complex terrain — often with far fewer resources and far less attention than their urban counterparts.

For reporters looking to better cover rural higher education, here are nine questions worth asking rural college leaders, along with context on why it matters and guidance on how to dig deeper.

1. How does geography affect the experience of your rural students?

Why it matters: Geography is the defining trait of rural higher education, and it can manifest in some surprising ways. 

As Mara Casey Tieken, a professor of education at Bates College and author of “Educated Out,” notes: “Geography does matter, clearly. Yet we often really don’t think about that as part of the opportunity structure. If you look at professors’ syllabi, it’s pretty urban-centric. Or if you look at admissions officers, outreach approaches, it favors urban areas. If you look at career counseling services or career services, they’re really designed to put kids in cities or put graduates in cities.”

Rural students may live hours from the nearest campus, share a car with other family members and work jobs that don’t accommodate traditional class schedules. Understanding how colleges address, or fail to address, these barriers often reveals whether rural institutions are truly serving their communities.

How to dig deeper: Ask for data on where enrolled students live and how far they commute. Request information on satellite locations, mobile services or partnerships with community organizations like housing authorities or libraries. Compare the institution’s service area map against where its programming actually reaches.

2. How close is your relationship with local employers, and how does the college balance those interests with student needs?

Why it matters: Rural colleges are frequently portrayed as workforce pipelines, training students for local industries. But who decides which industries get that pipeline? Reporters should examine whether colleges are responding to genuine community needs or primarily serving the interests of a few large employers.

High-quality workforce programs take a holistic approach. They tend to have a staff member dedicated to getting consistent feedback from both the students and the employers. And program leaders think outside the box, not only funneling rural students into careers as welders and nurses, but also other roles unique to their region.

Close ties between rural colleges and local businesses can benefit students, but they can also create conflicts of interest. When a major employer funds a program, donates equipment or sits on an advisory board, does the college have leverage to ensure graduates receive fair wages and working conditions? This is particularly important in regions where a single industry or employer dominates the job market.

How to dig deeper: Request a list of the college’s top employer partners and any formal advisory board members. Ask what data the college uses to determine which programs to offer. Look for gaps: Are there industries or occupations that community members need training in but the college doesn’t provide? Who’s at the table – and who isn’t – when workforce decisions get made?

3. How are you helping local entrepreneurs create new businesses or surprising innovations?

Why it matters: Not every program at a rural college exists to fill jobs. Some provide essential support for launching new businesses, offerings that may not show up in workforce metrics, but contribute to community vitality in ways that matter.

Christopher Kukk, who launched the SEED Innovation Hub at Longwood University in Virginia, describes rural innovation as “a kind of farm sense, like a MacGyverism” that emerges out of necessity. The hub he created connects students with entrepreneurs and community members, matching the curiosity of farmgrown entrepreneurs with funders willing to back their vision.

How to dig deeper: Look beyond completion rates and job-placement data. Ask about continuing education enrollment, community event attendance and partnerships with civic organizations. Interview community members who engage with the college outside of degree programs, and ask how local entrepreneurs are being supported by the college in unconventional ways, from allowing use of their facilities to providing grants.

4. How has the digital divide affected your students and your programming?

Why it matters: Rural areas consistently lag in broadband access, and the COVID-19 pandemic made this disparity impossible to ignore. But the digital divide didn’t disappear when campuses reopened. Students may still struggle to complete online coursework, access digital resources or develop the technology skills employers expect. Some solutions that have emerged in recent years include hybrid courses, expanded regional class offerings and certification-focused programs that prioritize showcasing skills over time in the classroom.

How to dig deeper: Ask what percentage of students have reliable home internet access. Find out whether the college offers device-lending programs, Wi-Fi hotspots or computer labs with extended hours. Check whether online and hybrid course enrollment varies by student ZIP code. Look at state and federal broadband investment maps to understand infrastructure gaps in the college’s service area.

5. How is your institution serving diverse student populations, and how has that changed amid DEI policy battles?

Why it matters: Rural America is more diverse than stereotypes suggest, and rural colleges often serve significant populations of Indigenous students, Latino students, immigrants and other demographic groups. Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming have banned DEI offices in recent years. Many of these states have large rural populations, so reporters should examine how these policy changes affect students on the ground.

At the University of South Dakota in 2024, two administrators who work in Native student services were told they could be fired for including their tribal affiliations and gender pronouns in their email signatures, based on new guidance from the Board of Regents. The policy, critics said, effectively targets Indigenous and LGBTQ+ identities without explicitly naming them. (In the end, the two staffers complied with the policy after consulting with legal experts.)

Beyond discrimination, rural immigrant students often face additional barriers to pursuing higher education. They may have more responsibilities than their peers, be expected to drive younger siblings or work a job to help pay household bills during high school. Even when immigrant students receive scholarships, they are less likely to attend or persist through college; a single medical emergency or other family challenge could force them home. 

As Eveleny Irigoyen-Aguierre, a daughter of Mexican immigrants in Garden City, Kansas, mentioned in 2023: “From my family, friendships, my relationships, the support wasn’t there. They knew I wanted to go to school. But they didn’t understand how much time I needed to study.”

How to dig deeper: Ask for demographic data on student enrollment, retention and completion rates broken down by race, ethnicity and other characteristics. Request information on what support services exist for specific student populations and how those services have changed in recent years. Interview students and staff from affected communities, and be aware that some may initially be reluctant to speak on the record.

6. How have recent federal policy changes affected your grants and programming?

Why it matters: Rural colleges often rely heavily on federal grants to fund programs serving adult learners, English language learners, first-generation students and other populations. Shifts in federal priorities, including recent cuts to discretionary funding for minority-serving institutions, could force difficult choices about which programs survive.

How to dig deeper: Request a breakdown of the college’s federal funding sources and which programs they support. Ask administrators directly: Which grants are you most worried about losing? What’s your contingency plan? Check the U.S. Department of Education’s database of grant awards to track funding trends over time.

7. What role does your college play in the community beyond higher education?

Why it matters: Rural community colleges often function as far more than educational institutions. When Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina in 2024, Mayland Community College transformed overnight into a recovery center: Its parking lots served as staging areas for utility crews; its buildings stored FEMA supplies, and its Starlink units provided the only reliable internet in the region for weeks. 

At Lassen Community College in northern California, the institution trained firefighters who later defended the region during the Dixie Fire in 2021 while the campus itself served as an evacuation camp for displaced residents.

“Community colleges were created by their communities, not by wealthy donors or the federal government. So when disaster hits, it’s no surprise that they’re the ones everyone turns to first,” says Sara Goldrick-Rab, a sociologist who studies student basic needs and wrote “Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream.”

Yet these expanded offerings often go unfunded. “We’re bad as a nation at recognizing our institutions that are our safety net,” she says. “We forget about them when times are good, so they struggle to keep going when times are bad.”

How to dig deeper: Ask administrators what non-educational roles their college has played during disasters, public health emergencies or economic crises, and whether those efforts had dedicated funding or came out of existing budgets. Look at what community services the college provides beyond classes, like health clinics or civic events. You might be surprised: Some even own local hotels and restaurants, using them as learning labs to teach students the hospitality and culinary trades.

8. What creative solutions has your institution developed to address rural-specific challenges?

Why it matters: Resource constraints force rural colleges to innovate in ways that larger institutions don’t have to. Some of these innovations, such as partnering with court judges to offer education as an alternative to incarceration, provide models that could work elsewhere. Others reveal just how stretched these institutions are.

How to dig deeper: Ask administrators about their most unconventional partnerships or programs. Interview community members who’ve benefited from creative approaches. Look at local billboards or calendars for programs that might not show up in official marketing materials but address real community needs.

9. What stories do you wish more reporters would tell?

Why it matters: This open-ended question can surface stories you’d never think to ask about. Rural college leaders often feel overlooked by media focused on flagship universities and elite institutions. Giving them space to share what they’re proud of or frustrated by can yield unexpected (and sharper) angles to explore.

Still, treat their answers with appropriate skepticism. College leaders may have incentives to highlight successes and downplay problems. Use their responses as starting points for your own reporting. Frequently check in with students to find out if they also see what the college is highlighting as valid or helpful. 

How to dig deeper: After hearing their pitch, ask follow-up questions that test the claims. Request data to back up success stories. Talk to students, faculty and community members to see if their experiences match the official narrative.

Additional Reporting Resources

• Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges (ARRC) at Appalachian State University publishes great research, and it hosts the RSI Data Tool, which is one of the few resources for defining how rural-serving an institution is.
• IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) provides institution-level data on enrollment, completion, finances and more.
• National Student Clearinghouse Research Center tracks enrollment trends, including breakdowns by institution type and student demographics.
• The Daily Yonder does some of the best rural-focused reporting on the beat and is a good source for story ideas that can be adapted for other coverage areas. 
• State higher education coordinating boards often publish reports on workforce outcomes and regional needs.