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Keeping Sight of the Forest and the Trees: Rethinking Diversity and College Opportunity for
Rural Populations in Oregon
Andrew Koricich, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Higher Education
Texas Tech University
June Convening Sponsored By:
Oregon Community College Association &
The Ford Family Foundation
June 25, 2015
Portland, Oregon
PRESENTATION OVERVIEW
The Current State of Rural America
Rural Diversity
• People
• Communities
Postsecondary Access & Choice
Challenges for Rural Residents
A Spotlight on Oregon
Opportunities for Improvement
MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE
The Current State of Rural America
THE CURRENT STATE OF RURAL AMERICA
As of 2010, approximately 59.5 million Americans live in rural
communities.
2010 2000 1990 1980
Rural
Population
59,492,267 59,061,367 61,656,38
6
59,494,813
% of U.S.
Population
19.3 21.0 24.7 26.3
Change in U.S. Rural Population, 1980–2010
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census.gov
THE CURRENT STATE OF RURAL AMERICA
Three-quarters of U.S. counties are classified as non-
metropolitan.
THE CURRENT STATE OF RURAL AMERICA
Contrary to popular belief, rural America is not overwhelmingly
white.
• American Indian reservations, border states, Deep South
• Immigration patterns
Rural residents experience higher poverty rates than those living
in cities and suburbs
• More than just an individual problem
• Relationship to local economic changes
THE CURRENT STATE OF RURAL AMERICA
Non-metropolitan counties have experienced greater population
loss over the last few decades
• Youth outmigration (“brain drain”)
• Scarcity of critical skills and knowledge
Some rural algebra:
• High Poverty + Decreasing Population = Shrinking Tax Base
• Shrinking Tax Base + High Need for Services = Program Cuts
THE CURRENT STATE OF RURAL AMERICA
On the bright side…
Exceptional cultivation of talented youth
Growing economic opportunities in emerging industries
• Sustainable agriculture
• Renewable energy
• Tourism & recreation
Increased connectivity though broadband expansion efforts
• Opportunities in education
• Opportunities in E-Commerce
MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE
Rural Diversity
RURAL DIVERSITY
Rural diversity can be thought of in two ways:
Rural places as home to diverse individuals and groups, each
with corresponding characteristics and challenges
Seeing “rural” as a heterogeneous category made up of
distinctly, and substantively, different communities, each with
characteristics that impact the lives of residents
RURAL DIVERSITY
Military
Enlistees
First-
Generation
Low-
Income
Racial
Minorities
Immigrants Adult
Learners
RURAL AMERICA
RURAL DIVERSITY
Minorities & Immigrants
Not unusual in rural places
• Result of Southern slavery
• Native American reservations
• Migrant agriculture laborers
• Refugees
– Hmong (1970s)
– Sudan, Bosnia, Croatia (1990s)
• Latin American immigrants
Poverty & First-Generation
Rural residents have long had
lower education levels
• Exacerbated by geographic
isolation
• Connection between education
level and local employment
opportunities
• Relationship between poverty
and education access/attainment
With fewer rural residents
holding degrees, rural youth
are more likely to be first-
generation college students
RURAL DIVERSITY
Student Veterans
Recent military conflicts and new G.I. Bill have dramatically
increased the number of combat veterans on college campuses.
• Cultural differences, experience, and age
• Physical and mental health concerns
• Requires a re-thinking of what types of student services should be added
These students often choose institutions near military bases,
especially community colleges, when using education benefits.
% of Military
Enlistees
% of Overall U.S.
Population (2010)
Rural 20-44 19.3
RURAL DIVERSITY
“Rural” as a Heterogeneous Category
In research, policy, and everyday life, rural communities are
treated as a monolithic group.
• Agricultural interests can dominate policymaking, despite comprising a
decreasing share of national and rural employment.
Accordingly, the vast complexities of rural life are overlooked
or ignored.
“America today has many rural Americas.” (Lichter & Brown,
2011, p. 568)
RURAL DIVERSITY
When we treat “rural” as a singular group, we
miss important variations in rural places:
MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE
Postsecondary Access & Choice
Challenges for Rural Residents
POSTSECONDARY ACCESS & CHOICE CHALLENGES
Students from non-metropolitan counties are only 80% as
likely to enroll in any postsecondary education within 2 years
of completing high school
Students from these communities are considerably more likely
to choose a two-year college over a four-year institution
• Best option vs. only option quandary
More likely to attend public institutions at the two-year and
four-year levels
POSTSECONDARY ACCESS & CHOICE CHALLENGES
Students from non-metro counties also less likely to choose
selective institutions
In these places, persistent child poverty (20+ years) has a
startling detrimental effect on postsecondary enrollment and
significantly alter choice patterns.
Local industry and employment opportunities influence
college access and choice
• Connections between education and employment are crucial
POSTSECONDARY ACCESS & CHOICE CHALLENGES
Distance from postsecondary institutions (predictably)
influences access and choice
• When more time is spent commuting, there is less time for studies,
work, and family
• This obstacle may effectively reduce or eliminate the options available
to students
• Without choice, do we truly have access?
Rural residents are more likely to live in a county with no
postsecondary institution compared to urban and suburban
residents.
• Opportunities in online education, but this is not for everyone and
comes with corresponding obstacles
MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE
A Spotlight on Oregon
A SPOTLIGHT ON OREGON
Rurality in Oregon
2010 Census Data
• New Urbanized Areas: Albany, Grants Pass, Walla Walla
• Rural population: 726,692 (18.97%)
• Rural land area: 98.8%
Unique definitions
• Urban Community: A specified area with at least 50,000 residents
• Urban Rural: At least 10 miles by road from an urban community
• Rural: At least 30 miles by road from an urban community
• Isolated Rural: Rural community at least 100 miles from a community
of 3,000 or more residents
• Frontier Rural: Rural community at least 75 miles from a community of
2,000 or more residents
A SPOTLIGHT ON OREGON
Rural and Urban Oregon
Image Source: Crandall & Weber (2005)
A SPOTLIGHT ON OREGON
Isolated Rural Oregon
Image Source: Crandall & Weber (2005)
A SPOTLIGHT ON OREGON
Isolated Rural Oregon
Image Source: Crandall & Weber (2005)
A SPOTLIGHT ON OREGON
What comes to mind when thinking of rural
Oregon?
A SPOTLIGHT ON OREGON
Rural Diversity in Oregon
Geography
• Pacific coast, Cascade range, High desert, Willamette Valley
Demographics
• Rural Oregon may still be predominantly White, but there are important
racial, ethnic, and cultural variations in these places.
• Other social metrics:
Non-Metro Social Indicators (2004) # of Non-Metro Counties in OR
Substandard Housing 12
Retirement Destination 6
Non-Metro Recreation 6
Low Education, Low Employment,
Persistent Child Poverty
1 (each)
Persistent Poverty, Population Loss 0 (each)
A SPOTLIGHT ON OREGON
A SPOTLIGHT ON OREGON
A SPOTLIGHT ON OREGON
Rural Diversity in Oregon
Industry
• Shift from resource dependence to mixed manufacturing and high tech,
but rural communities have been largely left out
• Top Commodities (> $300 million in 2013):
– Greenhouse/Nursery, Cattle, Hay, Milk, Grass seed, Wheat
Non-Metro Industry
Dependence Type (2004)
# of Non-Metro Counties
in OR
Farming 4
Manufacturing 4
Federal/State Gov. 3
Services 1
Non-Specialized 13
A SPOTLIGHT ON OREGON
Postsecondary Education
In 2007, about 31% of urban residents held a bachelor’s degree,
compared to only 19.5% of those in rural counties
• Share for associate degrees was about the same for both groups
In a cohort of high school freshmen in 2005-2007 (Pierson &
Hanson, 2015):
• 55% of rural students in Oregon enrolled in college, compared to 63% of
urban students
• 78% of rural students persisted to the second year (83% for non-rural)
• No difference between groups regarding immediate enrollment
• More rural students first enrolled in a two-year, public institution in OR
• Rural Hispanic students were more likely than their non-rural
counterparts to enroll in college
A SPOTLIGHT ON OREGON
Postsecondary Education
Mobility/proximity remains an issue as many rural Oregonians
live several hours from the nearest university
• This also ties closely to issues of income and first-generation status
Oregon State announced a $60 million forest science complex
aimed at improving rural economic prospects
A 2010 Oregon Employment Department report notes the need
for more research on rural Oregonians and higher education.
MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE
Opportunities for Improvement
OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
“Place Not Race”
Shift efforts to diversify campuses and increase opportunity to
see where a student comes from, as opposed to race alone.
As diverse places, rural communities are a rich source of
underrepresented and non-traditional college students.
• Design outreach and institutional aid efforts accordingly
Can aid a broad spectrum of populations in need
This re-thinking should permeate recruitment/outreach,
institutional aid provision, and academic research.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
Administrators and Institutions
Understand the rural populations specific to your state/region
Review institutional aid programs
Help students see connections between their education and
local employment opportunities
Support services and programs
• How do current services meet the needs of the specific populations you
serve? How might current offerings need to change to serve the diverse
populations in rural communities?
• Retention is more cost-effective than attrition!
OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
Policymakers
Understand who comprises
rural America
Understand the effects of
policy changes on vulnerable
populations
Expand Pell Grants and other
low-income grant aid
Develop creative ways to fund
rural students while connecting
education to employment
opportunities
Researchers
Conduct more research on
rural populations and
postsecondary education
• Establish partnerships!
Account for diversity in the
“rural” category
Study financial aid changes
and their impact on rural
populations and the various
sub-populations that reside in
these communities
Remember:
Postsecondary education is essential for
successful economic development!
Keeping Sight of the Forest and the Trees: Rethinking Diversity and College Opportunity for
Rural Populations in Oregon
Andrew Koricich, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Higher Education
Texas Tech University
June Convening Sponsored By:
Oregon Community College Association &
The Ford Family Foundation
June 25, 2015
Portland, Oregon
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