Rural America in a Time of Change:
The Importance of the RCCI Program

Rural communities in America are facing some tough challenges. Creating quality jobs, giving kids a shot at a good education, providing decent health care, providing opportunities for more people to take an active role in shaping the future of their communities, and creating hope for the future represent just a handful of the key issues facing many rural communities today.

A key to helping rural communities become competitive in the new economy is to work simultaneously on developing the skills of the people who live there and diversifying the economic base that supports the community. Because of their commitment to building both people and places, community and tribal colleges are ideally positioned to become catalysts for regional development.

Over the course of the last seven years, the Ford Foundation has invested in an important demonstration project that involved 24 rural community and tribal colleges across the nation. This initiative was designed to expand the vision and mission of these colleges with regard to their vital role in guiding the strategic investments of the communities that they serve. Projects included working with the community to support economic development, increase access to the resources of the community/tribal colleges, and expand community participation. RCCI is launching a new phase of the program that will continue to embrace these important principles.

New Partnership with the Regional Rural Development Centers

A key element being incorporated in the new RCCI program is the inclusion of two Regional Rural Development Centers. The North Central Regional Center for Rural Development and the Southern Rural Development Center will work in partnership in coordinating the expansion of the RCCI program to eight new rural community and tribal colleges in the U.S. Both centers bring nearly three decades of experience working on rural development issues in America. Furthermore, with their strong ties to our nation's Cooperative Extension Service system, they can facilitate the building of strong, sustained partnerships between community/tribal colleges and the pool of state and locally-based Extension community development educators located in close proximity to community/tribal colleges.

Please Nominate Community and Tribal Colleges

You are invited to consider being part of the next phase of the RCCI program or to nominate community and tribal colleges that are ideally positioned to be part of this important program. Eight additional community and tribal colleges will be selected to join RCCI during 2003. These colleges will be drawn from the following six states: Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Mississippi, and Texas, where opportunities to build strong partnerships between community/tribal colleges and Land-Grant institutions are especially rich. Colleges selected from these six states will join the existing 24 colleges in becoming part of a national learning network.

Attributes of Community/Tribal Colleges Being Sought

What are key attributes of community/tribal colleges being sought to take part in this Initiative? They must be rural community and tribal colleges that are committed to addressing the needs of the wider community. This includes fostering sustainable economic development, increasing access by underserved populations to educational opportunities, and expanding the involvement of local people in the important affairs of their communities. As such, these colleges must be willing to become catalysts in advancing the long-term health of communities in their service areas. This includes engaging in community-based planning that is committed to strategies that bring hope and high expectations to all people in these communities.

Past experiences indicate that the colleges most likely to succeed in the RCCI program have the following attributes:

• An institutional structure with the flexibility to change as well as one that is supportive of team-based efforts;


• Leadership that believes the college's future is tied to the well-being of the communities in their service areas;


• A history of successful partnerships with others entities, such as: K-12 systems, regional and four-year post-secondary institutions, the business community, grassroot organizations, or other local community-minded groups.

Successful applicants will also have a strong history of addressing the needs of low-income communities and a commitment to fostering diversity. Colleges accepted into the program must be associate degree granting institutions and be regionally accredited. In addition, they must have a stable, healthy governance structure and a stable financial situation. Successful implementation of the RCCI program will require a willingness to commit some college and community resources to support local activities.

Benefits to the Community/Tribal Colleges Taking Part in the RCCI

The benefits to participating colleges include:

• Access to ongoing coaching and to a diverse pool of technical advisors from rural community/tribal colleges and Land-Grant based Extension educators;


• Participation in the annual RCCI Institute that provides an opportunity for new RCCI participants to learn from the successes of previous RCCI members;


• Access to in-depth training that can strengthen the ability of RCCI teams to facilitate sound community development planning in those communities served by the RCCI colleges;
  
• Exposure to socially, economically, and culturally diverse rural areas through field trips to communities served by RCCI teams and through working with diverse institutions throughout the U.S.;
  
• Recipient of RRDC products that offer RCCI teams timely updates on current and emerging rural development policies and programs, as well as information on grants that are available to support innovative community development efforts;
  
• Access to effective tools and strategies for working with diverse sets of partners;
  
• Opportunities to become active participants in the Rural Community College Alliance professional organization,which is building a national learning network of rural community and tribal colleges.
  
• Access to the RCCI Toolkit and other materials developed during the seven year RCCI demonstration phase.

  Expectations for Community/Tribal Colleges

Participating colleges will be expected to create a core leadership team made up of members of the community and the college. This team will be charged with leading a multi-month planning process that engages a broad spectrum of community and college representatives and focuses on college and community change. With RCCI help and coaching assistance from participating Land-Grant Universities, the colleges and their community partners will implement and evaluate the resulting action plan. The president, as well as three other representatives from the community and college, will participate in a weeklong institute designed to deepen their understanding of ways to increase educational/economic opportunities and civic involvement in rural communities. Small grants will be provided to help defray planning expenses and provide limited funds for consultancies by national technical advisors.

How to Send Nominations

Nominations, including self-nominations, may be in the form of a one to two-page letter that briefly addresses the questions on the enclosed nomination form and provides contact information for the nominated college. Nominations will also be accepted using the enclosed form. Completed documents can be mailed or faxed to the following address:

Bo Beaulieu, Director
Southern Rural Development Center
Box 9656
Mississippi State. MS 39762-9656
FAX: 662-325-8915; VOICE: 662-325-3207

PLEASE NOTE: Nominations may also be submitted electronically through the following email or website:

Email: bonniet@srdc.msstate.edu
Website: http://srdc.msstate.edu/rcci/submission.htm

RCCI Orientation Session for Interested Community/Tribal Colleges

Community/tribal colleges that are thinking of submitting a formal application to join the latest phase of the RCCI are encouraged to participate in a special RCCI orientation session to be held October 7, 2002, from 1:00-4:00 p.m. at the Adams Mark Hotel in Memphis, TN. The session will be held just prior to the commencement of the Annual Meeting of the Rural Community College Alliance (RCCA). For RCCA conference registration and hotel information, please go to the following website: http://srdc.msstate.edu/rcca/rccaconfmain.htm. Colleges are not required to attend the orientation in order to be considered for participation in this latest phase of the RCCI program.