Across the United States, rural areas are losing population and job opportunities as economic expansion becomes increasingly concentrated in urban centers. Community colleges in rural areas need solutions that address their culture, context, and capacity.
NCII is leading the Rural Guided Pathways Project, which engages rural community colleges to work with each other — and with community partners in their regions — to implement evidence-based, institution-wide reforms grounded in the guided pathways framework. The project’s rural focus and in-depth participation of community partners set it apart from other guided pathways efforts.
Phase 1 (2022-2024) of the Rural Guided Pathways Project included a cohort of 16 colleges; Phase 2 (2025-2027) expands the project to 28 colleges. To learn more about improvements colleges made during Phase 1, see the Rural Pathways Breakthrough Moments.
NCII’s Rural Leader Learning Community helped launch our work on advancing the success of students and institutions in rural regions across the country. Through this effort, innovative rural community college leaders shared how they are rethinking their structures; updating their programming; and better engaging students, employers, and communities. The Rural Community College Leader Series highlights their work.