Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges

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


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)


3/39

Challenges

List the two or three most important

challenges facing your college

List two or three challenges facing your rural

community


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


5/39

Rural Demographics

Declining rural population

WOSC service area population


6/39

Rural Demographics


7/39

Rural Demographics

Palm beach County School District will

experience a DECREASE of4,145 high school

students from 2008 to 2013.


8/39

Rural Demographics

Is your service area decreasing inpopulation?

Is the enrollment at your college flator decreasing?


9/39

Challenges

What is the most important challenge/factor

facing the rural community college?

ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT!


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


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


12/39

The Challenge for

Rural Community Colleges

Increase enrollment at rural two-year colleges.

How?

What do students want in a college?


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)


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


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


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


17/39


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?


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?


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


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?


22/39

Priorities

You can always tell a colleges priorities by..

the way they spend their money


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


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


25/39

Opportunities

What do two year colleges typically do better

than other institutions of higher education?

INSTRUCTION. We are student centered andfocused


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?


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?


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


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


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


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


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.


33/39

Effective Leadership

Successful employees create successful

leaders!!

Successful leaders create successful

employees!!

Start the cycle, see what happens


34/39

#1 Trait of Effective Leaders

TRUST


35/39

Effective Leadership Four cornerstones of effective educational

leadership:

Enthusiasm

Attitude

Vision

Feedback


36/39

Leadership Greatness

The two most important traits of greatness

(after trust) are


37/39

Leadership Greatness

Initiative

And

Attitude


38/39

Video Clip

Thank you for your participation


39/39

Thank you for your participation,

time and attention!

[email protected]

580-477-7890

Documents

Challenges and Opportunities Facing Rural Community Colleges