Post on 03-Apr-2018
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
1/39
Challenges and Opportunities
Facing Rural Community Colleges
Randy Smith, Ph.D.
President, Rural Community College Alliance
Altus, Oklahoma
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
2/39
Overview
Lots of information, a short amount of time!
Need your participation
This presentation should facilitate networkingamong participants after the conference
Explore some challenges
Explore some opportunities (what we do well)
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
3/39
Challenges
List the two or three most important
challenges facing your college
List two or three challenges facing your rural
community
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
4/39
Rural Demographics
Socio-economic status of rural communities
Typically poorer
Less access to healthcare
Lack of growth/poor economy/low paying jobs
Decreasing number of high school graduates
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
5/39
Rural Demographics
Declining rural population
WOSC service area population
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
6/39
Rural Demographics
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
7/39
Rural Demographics
Palm beach County School District will
experience a DECREASE of4,145 high school
students from 2008 to 2013.
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
8/39
Rural Demographics
Is your service area decreasing inpopulation?
Is the enrollment at your college flator decreasing?
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
9/39
Challenges
What is the most important challenge/factor
facing the rural community college?
ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT!
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
10/39
Enrollment Management
The most important factor affecting rural two-
year institutions
Who is responsible for enrollment
management at your institution?
Who shouldbe involved with E.M.
at your institution?
Do you have a defined E.M Plan
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
11/39
The Problem
Flat or decreasing enrollment in communitycolleges
Greater competition for a smaller pool of high
school graduates and non-traditional students Lack of research on rural community colleges
Financial consequences of falling enrollment
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
12/39
The Challenge for
Rural Community Colleges
Increase enrollment at rural two-year colleges.
How?
What do students want in a college?
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
13/39
Four Categories of Factors that
Influence Decision to Enroll
Student Services
(On-Campus Housing and Childcare,College Sponsored Sports)
Academic Issues (Transferability of Credits, Academic Reputation)
Marketing
(Distance, Campus Appearance)
Personal Issues
(Cost of Tuition, Family Influence)
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
14/39
Conceptual Framework
Independent Variables Dependent Variable
Student Servicesa. On-Campus Housing
b. On-Campus Childcare
c. Sponsored Team Sports
Academic Issuesa. Transferability of Credits
b. Academic Reputation
Marketinga. Campus Appearance
b. Distance of college to residence
Personal Issuesa. Family Influence
b. Cost
Decision to Enroll
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
15/39
Activity
Please rank the following factors in the order
YOU think students most desire in a rural two-
year college.
Family input, Transferability, Academicreputation, Driving distance, Campus
appearance, Housing, Team sports, On-campus childcare, Cost
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
16/39
Factors Influencing Enrollment
Survey of 831 Students at 8 Rural Two-Year
Colleges
Average age: 29.3
Average Miles Driven to Attend College: 25
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
17/39
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
18/39
What does this mean?
Do you focus on academic reputation and
quality of instruction?
Do you require faculty to be involved in
recruitment?
Is your campus well maintained, clean and
attractive?
Do you have a written E.M plan involving all
areas of the college?
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
19/39
What does this mean?
Do you advertise your low tuition cost and comparecosts to four-year universities?
Do you venture outside your service area andmarket your institution as a destination college?
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
20/39
The Bottom Line
Continue to maintain your strengths while
slowly improving on your weaknesses.
Students are more interested in academic
issues than in student services (regardless of
location, ethnicity and gender)
Students go behind the scenes to really find
out what is going on. Do you?
Competition is INCREASING
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
21/39
Enrollment Management
Do you have a written E.M. plan based on
your SWOT?
Do you have an E.M. committee?
Have you surveyed your own students? Why
do they enroll at your institution?
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
22/39
Priorities
You can always tell a colleges priorities by..
the way they spend their money
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
23/39
Challenges
Faculty and administrative retirements
Do you have plans now in preparation for the
future? How are you going to recruit faculty?
What attracts faculty to teach at a rural
college? (this is where you respond)
Lifestyle, focus on instruction, climate of the
college, family reasons
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
24/39
Challenges
Failing infrastructure (strategic planning,
master plan)
Increasing competition for a shrinking pool of
students (distance education)
Inability to keep up with technology trends
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
25/39
Opportunities
What do two year colleges typically do better
than other institutions of higher education?
INSTRUCTION. We are student centered andfocused
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
26/39
Opportunities
What are the strengths of two year colleges?
Cost, location, open enrollment policy, focus
on student, remedial services, change/adapt
quickly to community needs
Do we get the word out about our strengths?
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
27/39
Opportunities/ Economic
Development
What is economic development?
Attract new business
Grow existing businesses
Train employees
What else?
Why should community colleges be involved
in economic development and partnerships?
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
28/39
Economic Development
What should be the role of the community
college in economic development?
What can your college do to be involved in or
improve economic development? Be specific
We are ideally suited to partner, change, and
create new programs as needed
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
29/39
Summary of Opportunities
Ability to quickly change/adapt
Ability to meet demands of business and
industry (partnerships)
Excellence in instruction
Low cost of attendance
Add/improve technical programs Add/improve developmental courses
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
30/39
Summary of Challenges
Enrollment management (recruitment and
retention)
Failing infrastructure
Recruiting faculty, staff and administration
Increasing competition
Inability to keep up with technology trends
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
31/39
Leadership Simplified
What is an employees first reaction to any
decision that you make?
WIIFM: Whats in it for me?
Think about this BEFORE you make a decision
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
32/39
Leadership Simplified
The most effective thing you can do as a
leader is:
Help others be successful. You work for the
employees, they dont work for you. When
they are successful, you are successful
Excellent internal customer service breeds
excellent external customer service.
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
33/39
Effective Leadership
Successful employees create successful
leaders!!
Successful leaders create successful
employees!!
Start the cycle, see what happens
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
34/39
#1 Trait of Effective Leaders
TRUST
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
35/39
Effective Leadership Four cornerstones of effective educational
leadership:
Enthusiasm
Attitude
Vision
Feedback
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
36/39
Leadership Greatness
The two most important traits of greatness
(after trust) are
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
37/39
Leadership Greatness
Initiative
And
Attitude
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
38/39
Video Clip
Thank you for your participation
7/29/2019 Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges
39/39
Thank you for your participation,
time and attention!
Randy.Smith@ruralccalliance.org
580-477-7890