In Part V of our six-part series on continuing rural postsecondary education and workforce development, produced in collaboration with and supported by the Ascendium Education Group.

Michelle chats with three education leaders who are doing some amazing work with rural colleges: Cindy Lopez,  Executive Director of Network Engagement at Achieving the Dream, who oversees designated ATD Network services, such as multiyear transformation initiatives for unique groups of colleges that includes minority-serving institutions and regional groups, as well as ATD’s Building Rural Resiliency for the Future of Work project; Meredith Hatch, Director of Network Relations at Achieving the Dream, who provides leadership to identify and scale promising practices for use across the ATD Network of 300+colleges as well as serving as program manager for Building Resiliency in Rural Communities for the Future of Work project; and Monica Clark, deputy director for the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research.

Lopez and Hatch discuss how ATD helps colleges build digital skills capacity and supports for low-income rural community college students to enter and have success in earning credentials that prepare them for high-quality jobs, and the importance of equity in college transformation. Clark describes the mission of her organization, the importance of data, the lessons learned from the Rural College Leaders program, and how the Belk Center is building on work that is already happening in North Carolina and nationally to support rural institutions.

This episode and the entire six-part series is sponsored by the Ascendium Education Group, whose philanthropy aims to remove systemic barriers faced by certain learners, specifically first-generation students, incarcerated adults, veterans, students of color, and rural community members. For more information, visit ascendiumphilanthropy.org

Synopsis: In Part V of our six-part series, Living in Rural America, produced in collaboration with and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Michelle discusses Rural Economic & Cultural Success Stories: Lesson Learned from Thriving Communities, with Dr. Katherine Ortega Courtney and Dominic Capello, the two authors of the landmark book, 100% Community, Ensuring 10 Vital Services for Surviving and Thriving and Matt Probst, medical director of El Centro Family Health and a driving force behind the 100% San Miguel (New Mexico) County Initiative.

Probst discusses how he is helping to lead an effort to combat the current wildfires in New Mexico, the worst in state history. He also details the five activities that all communities should maintain to survive and the five necessary activities to thrive in any community. The panel also talks about the history of 100 Percent Community, which started before the pandemic; how their organization addresses a variety of rural issues; what makes their organization unique; and its processes for enabling success in communities.

This episode and the entire six-part series is sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation’s largest philanthropy dedicated solely to health. For more information on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, visit rjwf.org

In this episode, the fourth in our six-part series, Living in Rural America, produced in collaboration with and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Michelle chats with Mil Duncan, Professor Emerita in Sociology at the University of New Hampshire and Senior Fellow at the Meridian Institute. Her work focuses on opportunity and social change in rural communities. Duncan was the founding director of the Carsey Institute at UNH and is the author of Worlds Apart: Poverty and Politics in Rural America. Duncan discusses her research about equity and opportunity in rural America, the historical roots of deep poverty in rural places, and the role of politics as a potential equity change agent. This episode and the entire six-part series is sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation’s largest philanthropy dedicated solely to health. For more information on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, visit rjwf.org

In this fourth installment of the fabulous series we’re doing in collaboration with and supported by the Ascendium Education Group, Michelle interviews three professionals with hands-on experience collaborating with employers to help rural learners: Dani Douglas, a Research and Policy Associate at the Center on Rural Innovation; Dr. John Fitzsimmons, President of The Foundation for Maine’s Community Colleges; and Joshua Howe, Deputy Executive Director for Workforce Training and Remote Working for the Maine Community College System. Douglas discusses why rural places should care about having tech jobs and businesses in their communities and success stories in rural areas. Fitzsimmons talks about the role of the Maine Advisory Council on remote work and the importance of certification in this space. Howe provides an overview of the Remote Work for Maine program, and the kinds of jobs for which workers are being trained. This episode and the entire six-part series is sponsored by the Ascendium Education Group, whose philanthropy aims to remove systemic barriers faced by certain learners, specifically first-generation students, incarcerated adults, veterans, students of color, and rural community members. For more information, visit ascendiumphilanthropy.org

In this final installment of our fabulous four-part series, Designing Postsecondary Alternatives for Rural Learners, produced in collaboration with and underwritten by PelotonU, Michelle chats with four terrific guests who provide additional perspectives on the rural learning experience: Rocío Rangel, Director of the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) at Eastern Washington University; Drew Garretson, Senior Director of Digital Experience at Ceres Solutions Cooperative; Francis Vigil, Tribal Education Specialist for the National Indian Education Association; and Sarah Saxton-Frump, Co-Founder and COO of PelotonU. Rangel discusses whether the current k-12 education system serves migrant farmworker students and the gaps in existing higher education programs in serving these learners. Garretson talks about the major employment challenges associated with rural communities, touching on talent retention strategies; agriculture technology; and creating a successful collaborative and entrepreneurial ecosystem in rural communities. Vigil discusses the impact of rurality on Native American learners and the possible pitfalls of virtual learning. Saxton-Frump talks about how PelotonU is designed to be flexible and supportive, and their hope that this model might help rural learners achieve their college goals This episode and the entire four-part series is sponsored by PelotonU, whose innovative and regionally accredited degree options flip the script on rural education and enable you to fit college around your life rather than fitting your life around college. Try it for six weeks absolutely risk-free and no money down. Visit PelotonU.org to get started.

In our second bonus brief episode of 2022, Michelle is joined by former New Orleans Mayor, and current Biden Administration Senior Advisor and Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu to discuss how the President’s $1.2 billion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help rebuild rural America. 

Mitch and Michelle begin their discussion by commenting on the poor conditions of America’s rural infrastructure, and how President Biden is keeping his promise to rural Americans to help rebuild. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill has money allotted to assist rural communities with clean drinking water, fixing roads and bridges, increasing broadband internet access, modern wastewater systems, EV charging stations, and affordable electricity.

“You want to design systems that are designed to make people healthy and happy, and bring them together… The President wants to make sure that everybody in rural America knows, not only that he sees them, but that he made a promise to invest in rural America and he is delivering on that promise,’ said Landrieu.

Mitch also discussed the Biden Administration’s Rural Toolkit, which lets people know what programs there are, how much is in them, how to get them, and how to access them. You can find the Rural Toolkit at Build.gov/rural.

Lastly, Michelle and Mitch discussed the Biden’s Administration's focus on fixing transportation in rural America by repairing 15,000 rural bridges, considering public transportation needs, and focusing on high-speed rails connecting communities.  

If you want to listen to our last Bonus Brief with Biden Administration Deputy Secretary Don Graves, click here!

In Part III of our superb series, Designing Postsecondary Alternatives for Rural Learners, produced in collaboration with and underwritten by one of our most exciting new partners, PelotonU. Michelle chats with three terrific guests about pathways for collaboration with rural communities: Laura Wise, Program Director for the Michigan State University College Advising Corps (MSUCAC), which supports college access for low-income, first-generation, and under-represented students; Regan Kelly from TNTP, who oversees academic work and leads teams of experts to support literacy instruction in districts across the state of Tennessee; and Maria Luna-Torres, Project Director at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, where she manages the implementation of AgriLife’s Rural Student Success demonstration project. Wise discusses the mission of her organization, the challenges she observes when college advisors enter rural communities to support students, and best practices for organizations to follow to more effectively engage with their communities. Kelly talks about the lessons she has learned from her work in Tennessee and tips for success in partnering with rural communities. Luna-Torres touches on lessons learned from her experience as Director of the Rural Student Success Initiative, and how she approaches outreach in a state as large as Texas. This episode, and the entire four-part series, is sponsored by PelotonU, whose innovative and regionally accredited degree options flip the script on higher education and allow learners to fit college around their lives rather than fitting their lives around college. Learners can try it for six weeks risk-free with no money down. Visit PelotonU.org to get started.

In the third installment of our superb six-part series produced in collaboration with and supported by the Ascendium  Education Group, Michelle chats with Leslie Daugherty, Senior Education Designer at the Education Design Lab; Kathy Temple-Miller, Dean of Student Success at Washington State Community College in Ohio; Dr. Dana Cotton, an instructor and Interim Chair of the English, Communications, and Humanities Department at the College of Eastern Idaho; and Joe Davis, a workforce professional with more than 13 years working in rural communities in the Finger Lakes Region in New York. Daugherty speaks to the Education Design Lab’s five community college partners and the four principles of the Lab’s Human-Centered Design Process. Temple-Miller talks about how community colleges can be trusted hubs within their communities and the obstacles rural learners face that need to be overcome, including flexible schedules for adult learners and evening child care options. Davis discusses his role as the Employment and Training Programs Supervisor in Yates County and how he came to partner with Finger Lakes Community College on the BRIDGES project. Cotton talks about how the College of Eastern Idaho serves a large geographic area and how it reached out to communities outside of the Idaho Falls region in the pilot phase. This episode and the entire six-part series is sponsored by the Ascendium Education Group, whose philanthropy aims to remove systemic barriers faced by certain learners, specifically first-generation students, incarcerated adults, veterans, students of color, and rural community members. For more information, visit ascendiumphilanthropy.org

In Part II of our fabulous four-part series we’re producing in collaboration with and supported by PelotonU, called Designing Postsecondary Alternatives for Rural Learners, Michelle discusses decisions rural learners have to make to pursue their educational goals and why and how rural learners choose whether to stay in their communities or leave to pursue education opportunities elsewhere, with three excellent guests: Dr. Marion Terenzio, president of the SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill; James Decker, who is serving his second term as mayor of his hometown, Stamford, Texas; and Miriam Hoffman, who is studying agribusiness economics at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Terenzio says it’s important to understand that the community helps shape a university’s agenda with its learners. Her university’s initiative, based on a Thriving College, Thriving Community mindset, helps create regional economic development. The Institute for Rural Vitality at SUNY Cobleskill, with its five Centers, including its important Ag Innovation Center, is having a positive impact on this economic development, which complements the university’s community partnership goals and its superb applied learning capabilities. Decker discusses why he decided to return to his community after college and how leaders can encourage rural residents to return to their communities and help deal with rural community “brain drain.” Hoffman discusses how her college peers perceive her hometown and how it influenced her perception of the value of returning to a rural setting. This episode and the entire four-part series is sponsored by PelotonU, whose innovative and regionally accredited degree options flip the script on higher education and allow learners to fit college around their lives rather than fitting their lives around college. Learners can try it for six weeks risk-free with no money down. Visit PelotonU.org to get started. 

In this first of our four-part series, Designing Postsecondary Alternatives for Rural Learners, produced in collaboration with and supported by PelotonU, Michelle chats with three terrific guests about the latest trends and statistics pertaining to rural learners and rural education, best practices for engaging student support, and actual rural learner experiences: Dr. Van Davis, chief strategy officer with WCET (WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies); Matt Newlin, who has 15 years' experience creating equitable pathways for low-income, first-generation students and is currently on the leadership team of the NACAC Rural & Small Town Special Interest Group, and host of the Rural College Student Experience podcast; and Cyndi Gonzalez, a recent rural graduate, who has faced challenges involving paying for community college and lack of accessibility to internet services. Davis describes the importance of geography in shaping higher education opportunity in the United States, the role played by rural-serving institutions, the vexing problem of “higher education deserts,” how online higher education affects rural learners, and the importance of equity in the rural space. Newlin talks about what institutions are missing about the rural student experience in college, such as isolation, and provides several examples of institutions doing a good job of supporting rural students, and the strengths that rural students bring to campus and their peers; Gonzales discusses both her positive and negative experiences as a rural learner, and why she chose PelotonU. This episode and the entire series is sponsored by PelotonU, whose innovative and regionally accredited degree options flip the script on higher education and allow learners to fit college around their lives rather than fitting their lives around college. Learners can try it for six weeks risk-free with no money down. Visit PelotonU.org to get started.